Palestinians examine a vehicle in which employees of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike, according to WAFA, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 30, 2024. Photo: Reuters
-The Israeli military claimed on Saturday that it had eliminated a militant involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, who was employed by the US-based charity, World Central Kitchen, in Gaza. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA stated that three WCK employees were killed when an Israeli strike hit a civilian vehicle in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The military provided no evidence, and Reuters could not independently confirm the man's identity or his involvement in the previous year's attack on Israel. World Central Kitchen did not immediately respond to the Israeli statement. Hamas also remained silent. Medics in the region reported that a total of five people were killed in the strike, which targeted a vehicle east of Khan Younis. In a subsequent attack in Khan Younis, medics said at least nine Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck a car near a crowd receiving flour, a vehicle used by security personnel overseeing aid deliveries into Gaza. The Israeli military denies targeting civilians, accusing Hamas of operating from civilian facilities and using civilians as shields, a claim Hamas refutes. Overall, at least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave overnight and into Saturday, according to Gaza medics. Among them, at least seven died in an Israeli strike on a house in central Gaza City, as stated by the Gaza Civil Defense and WAFA early on Saturday. New ceasefire efforts are underway as Hamas leaders are expected to arrive in Cairo for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, following Israel and Hezbollah's agreement to a ceasefire in Lebanon. This visit marks the first since the US announced it would revive efforts with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. The Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian security officials to explore ways to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel, potentially securing the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Progress has been limited in a series of intermittent talks over months. Hamas seeks an agreement to end the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the war will end only when Hamas is eradicated. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has claimed at least 44,382 lives and displaced nearly all of the enclave's population at least once, according to Gaza officials. Vast areas of Gaza are in ruins. The conflict erupted 13 months ago when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and capturing over 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
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