Israel Kills At Least 13 In Gaza As Egypt Hosts Hamas Ceasefire Talks

The Israeli army killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more across the Gaza Strip since dawn, according to information gathered by Al Jazeera, as Egypt began hosting a new round of talks with leaders from Hamas and other Palestinian factions to salvage a “ceasefire”.

Al Jazeera said Sunday’s attacks came in the al-Mawasi area near the southern city of Khan Younis, in Gaza City and Deir el-Balah, according to its colleagues on the ground.

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Major fighting has been paused since October 2025 under the United States-brokered “ceasefire”, but Al Jazeera said no agreement had been reached to implement a further US-backed plan for Israeli troops to withdraw, Hamas to disarm and Gaza to be rebuilt after more than two years of heavy Israeli bombardment.

Al Jazeera reported that Hamas told envoys from the Board of Peace and mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye that ending Israeli attacks in Gaza was essential for any progress, according to sources from the group and officials close to the talks in Cairo who spoke to the Reuters news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces now control more than 60% of the Gaza Strip and are moving toward securing 70% of the territory, as military operations against Hamas continue, according to Israel National News as carried by NDTV Profit.

Netanyahu said, "In the Gaza Strip, we are squeezing Hamas from all sides. We currently hold over 60% of the Strip's territory, and we will soon reach 70%."

Al Jazeera

The National reported that Israeli control has expanded to about 64 per cent of Gaza, amid plans to occupy 70 per cent or more, risking renewed hostilities and stalling mediation efforts.

The National also said Hamas proposed reviving Donald Trump’s Gaza plan with conditions for disarmament talks, including an end to assassinations and Israeli redeployment to the “yellow line,” and that Israel rejects Hamas’s position that it would surrender heavy weapons but retain firearms for personal protection.

France 24 reported that Netanyahu ruled out any reconstruction of the Gaza Strip as long as two missions have not been fulfilled: disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza by eliminating the weapons and tunnels.

“The Israeli army has killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others across the Gaza Strip since dawn, according to information gathered by Al Jazeera, as Egypt began hosting a new round of talks with leaders from Hamas and other Palestinian factions to salvage a “ceasefire””

Al Jazeera

Netanyahu said at a press conference, "We are now focusing on completing the two remaining tasks: disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza by eliminating weapons and tunnels," and he added, "this will be either easy, or hard. But in any case, we will succeed," according to France 24.

Al Jazeera said the Israeli military controls about 64 percent of the Gaza Strip, up from the 53 percent envisaged under the ceasefire agreement, and under the areas it controls, the Israeli army has forced the displacement of Palestinians and levelled remaining buildings.

Al Jazeera also said that after the first phase of the “ceasefire” where Hamas released all remaining captives in exchange for some Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons, the second phase has been stalled for months on sticking points including disarmament of Hamas and the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the enclave.