Israeli attacks in Gaza leave dozens dead as preparations for high-level ceasefire talks advance

Several air strikes in the south Gaza Strip killed at least three dozen Palestinians on Saturday while preparations for High-level ceasefire talks in Egypt.

Eleven members of the same family, including two children, were among those killed when their house in the town of Khan Younis was hit by an Israeli airstrike early Saturday, according to Nasser Hospital, where the bodies and injured were taken.

The hospital received a total of 33 bodies killed in three separate attacks in and around Khan Younis. The city's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital said it had received three more bodies from an attack early Saturday.

Seventeen other people were killed when an attack hit a road south of Khan Younis, including the passengers of a tuk-tuk and passersby, Nasser Hospital said. Another attack hit a tuk-tuk east of Khan Younis, killing at least five people.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the reports but could not immediately comment.

Talks about a possible ceasefire

Meanwhile, mediators in Cairo were working to pave the way for high-level talks on Sunday on a possible ceasefire brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

President Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and CIA Director William Burns are part of a U.S. delegation that traveled to Cairo after talks on implementing a ceasefire in Gaza resumed this week. The talks, which began on Thursday, included mediators from Egypt and Israel. CBS News previously reported.

An Israeli delegation that arrived on Thursday included David Barnea, the head of Israel's foreign intelligence service Mossad, the head of Israel's security service Shin Bet and Major General Eliezer Toledano.

The White House said on Friday that the talks had been constructive and progress had been made, but did not provide specific details.

A Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in the Egyptian capital on Saturday to listen to talks with mediators, the militant group said in a statement. Mahmoud Merdawy, a senior Hamas official, stressed to the Associated Press that the group would not participate directly in Sunday's talks but would be briefed by Egypt and Qatar.

The US is pushing for a bridge between Israel and Hamas as pressure for a ceasefire mounts and fears of a wider regional war grow following recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups blamed on Israel.

Foreign Minister Antony Blinken told reporters that during his three-hour conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week Israel agreed to the planThe minister said the statement gives Israeli forces “a very clear timetable and places to withdraw.” Since her speech, however, Netanyahu has made public statements that contradict that statement.

Biden called Israel's Netanyahu on Wednesday to stress the urgency of a ceasefire and an agreement on the release of the hostages, and discussed the developments with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Friday.

The details of implementing the key technical issues involved remain a major challenge, but the United States remains confident that the final “bridge proposal” presented last week will lead to a breakthrough.

A major problem is the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and the Netzarim East-West Corridor that runs through the area. Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, while Netanyahu insists that Israel must maintain control of the corridors.

Hamas political official Bassem Naim said last week that the working proposal at the time incorporated Netanyahu's demands, including that Israeli forces should retain control of the Philadelphia and Netzarim corridors.

Ahead of Sunday's talks, Merdawy said Hamas's position had not changed from an earlier draft that called for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

History of the war in Gaza

The War in the Gaza Strip The conflict erupted on October 7, when Hamas and other militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Around 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza as hostages. Over 100 hostages were released during a ceasefire last year, but Hamas is believed to still hold around 110 more, about a third of whom are dead, Israeli authorities estimate.

According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count, Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents to flee.