DEIR EL-BALAH – In a series of assaults over Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 13 individuals, as reported by health authorities. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is anticipated to unveil the Board of Peace, which aims to monitor the delicate ceasefire in the region.
Among the casualties in northern Gaza, at least one child has been confirmed dead, as disclosed by health officials and family members. The fatalities occurred due to multiple strikes in the area, including those east of Gaza City.
The Israeli military announced on Friday that it targeted Hamas facilities and militants in both southern and northern Gaza. This action was a response to a failed rocket launch attempt by Gaza City-based militants.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is currently in its nascent phase, with ongoing efforts to retrieve the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza.
President Trump is anticipated to make an announcement next week concerning the establishment of the Board of Peace, which he intends to lead. This development is seen as a crucial advancement in his Middle East peace initiative. Progress has been gradual since an October ceasefire brought an end to over two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Two officials, including a U.S. representative, have disclosed this information under the condition of anonymity, as a formal announcement is yet to be made.
On Thursday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov would be the “designated” director-general for the board. Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who served as the U.N. envoy to Iraq before being appointed as the U.N. Mideast peace envoy from 2015-2020. During that time, he had good working relations with Israel and frequently worked to ease tensions between Israel and Hamas.
Under Trump’s plan, the board would supervise a new technocratic Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction. The U.S. has reported little progress on any of these fronts so far.
On Thursday, Egyptian and European Union leaders met in Cairo and urged the deployment of the international stabilization force. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Hamas still refused to disarm and called the situation “extremely severe.”
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the nearly three-month-old ceasefire. Continued Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The Israeli military says any actions since the ceasefire began have been in response to violations of the agreement.
The strikes Thursday killed an 11-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a doctor, a teenage girl and two boys in a tent camp. At least a dozen others were injured, hospital officials said.
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