Palestinian health officials report that three Israeli airstrikes on refugee camps in central Gaza have resulted in at least 13 deaths. Meanwhile, ceasefire discussions are ongoing in Cairo.
According to Palestinian ambulance teams, among the deceased at Nuseirat and Bureij Refugee Camps were three children and one woman.
The bodies were transported to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where AP journalists counted a total of 13 corpses.
In the wake of the recent casualties, a rare moment of hope emerged in Gaza.
Late Thursday night, medical teams recovered a live newborn from the womb of a heavily pregnant Palestinian woman who had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home in Nuseirat.
Credits: Associated Press (AP)
The woman’s death was confirmed after the strike, but the baby was found alive and taken to a nearby hospital for care.
Following the blast that claimed the lives of Ola al-Kurd, 25, and six others, emergency responders rushed her to Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, aiming to rescue her unborn child.
Later, doctors informed The Associated Press that they had successfully delivered a baby boy.
Dr. Khalil Dajran stated that the unnamed infant is stable but has suffered from a lack of oxygen and is being kept in an incubator. The baby’s father, who was also injured in the same airstrike, survived.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, has resulted in over 38,900 fatalities, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The ministry’s figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, displacing the majority of its 2.3 million residents and causing widespread hunger throughout the coastal territory.
The October 7 attack by Hamas led to the deaths of 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and about 250 hostages being taken.
Israeli authorities indicate that around 120 hostages remain captive, with roughly one-third presumed dead.
Health officials in the Gaza Strip report that the Israel-Hamas war has resulted in the deaths of thousands of women and children.
A premature Palestinian baby was extracted from her deceased mother’s womb in April, but she tragically passed away a few days later.
International mediators, including those from the United States, are actively working in Cairo to broker a phased agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The goal is to end the fighting and facilitate the release of around 120 hostages held in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which would see the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, is “close to being finalized.”
He acknowledged, however, that “the final stages are always the most challenging.”
Since the one-week ceasefire in November, intermittent negotiations between Hamas and Israel have taken place.
Both parties have repeatedly blamed each other for hindering progress as a potential agreement draws closer.
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