Article contentNetanyahu, under pressure at home to end the war as military casualties increase, was initially uncompromising in his bid to crush Hamas and neutralise it as a security threat to Israel.Article contentArticle contentBut after two high-profile meetings with Donald Trump, he indicated that a temporary truce deal could be on the horizon, echoing the US president’s own optimism that a deal can be struck soon.Article contentOn the ground in Gaza, there was no let-up in civilian casualties on Thursday, with the civil defence agency reporting 52 killed in Israeli strikes and shooting across the embattled territory.Article contentThere was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details due to media restrictions in Gaza.Article contentBut agency official Mohammed al-Mughair said in the deadliest strike, eight children were among 17 killed when Israeli aircraft targeted “a gathering of civilians in front of a medical point” in Deir el-Balah.Article contentArticle contentSeparate strikes and shooting were reported elsewhere across Gaza, with people displaced by the 21-month conflict among the casualties as well as three people near an aid centre, he added.Article contentThe deaths cap another bloody week in Gaza, after the authorities reported at least 29 were killed on Wednesday, 26 on Tuesday and 12 on Monday.Article contentOverall, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 57,680 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the conflict.Article contentHamas’s attacks on border communities in Israel that sparked the war led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.Article contentA total of 251 hostages were seized in the attack. Forty-nine are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Article content© 2025 AFPArticle content
Hamas says Israeli troops sticking point in truce talks as Gaza pounded
