Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas across the Gaza Strip overnight into Sunday, destroying several residential buildings and killing at least 16 people, while Palestinians awaited talks in Egypt to discuss a U.S. plan that President Donald Trump said included an “initial withdrawal line” and would trigger an immediate ceasefire once Hamas confirmed, witnesses and local health authorities said.
The strikes came even after Trump, on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, said Israel had agreed to an initial withdrawal line inside Gaza and that a ceasefire would become “IMMEDIATELY effective” when Hamas confirmed its acceptance. Egypt prepared to host delegates from Hamas, Israel, the United States and Qatar to begin negotiations on implementing elements of the proposal.
Local Palestinian health authorities reported at least 16 dead on Sunday, including four people killed while seeking aid south of the enclave and five who died in an airstrike in Gaza City. Survivors and witnesses described scenes of destruction in neighbourhoods hit by overnight bombardment. One father, Shadi Mansour, stood amid rubble in the Tuffah suburb of Gaza City and said his son Ameer, 6, was among those killed. “Is he a member of the resistance? Is he a fighter? All the targets of the Israeli army are children,” Mansour said. Israeli forces warned residents who had left the city that returning could be dangerous because they considered parts of the area active combat zones.
The violence unfolded as signs of tentative progress emerged diplomatically. Hamas said it accepted certain key parts of Trump’s 20 point peace proposal, including an end to the war, an Israeli withdrawal and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, while leaving other matters for further negotiation. Disarmament, a core Israeli demand for a lasting end to hostilities, remained unresolved. Negotiators in Egypt were expected to focus on those outstanding issues.
Both sides have accused the other of tactics that endanger civilians. The Israeli military has repeatedly accused Hamas of using human shields, an allegation the group rejects. For many Palestinians, repeated, failed ceasefire efforts over the past two years have sapped confidence that new agreements will change conditions on the ground. “Unfortunately, there is no translation for this on the ground. We do not see any change to the situation,” said Ahmed Assad, a displaced man in central Gaza expressing frustration even as hopes briefly rose with news of the U.S. proposal.
With talks set to begin, diplomats will face the immediate task of turning broad concessions into practical steps on the ground.
Africa Digital News, New York
