DEIR EL-BALAH – Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said Saturday.

Officials from Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital reported that at least 13 individuals, including children and two women, were killed in Deir al-Balah, located in central Gaza, following Israeli airstrikes that began late Friday. Additionally, airstrikes near a fuel station resulted in four more casualties, while 15 others were killed in Khan Younis, situated in southern Gaza, as per information from Nasser Hospital.

According to a statement from the Israeli military, troops have struck around 250 targets within the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours. These targets included militants, weapon storage sites, booby-trapped structures, anti-tank missile launch sites, sniper positions, tunnels, and other Hamas infrastructure. The military has not yet responded to The Associated Press’ inquiries about the civilian casualties.

In an attack carried out by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and 251 were kidnapped. They continue to hold 50 hostages, with less than half of them thought to be alive, as many were freed through ceasefire agreements or other arrangements.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.

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