Israeli military strikes have killed at least 14 people over the past 24 hours, the Gaza Ministry of Health said, as international negotiators engage in talks to reinforce the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The ministry released a statement Sunday reporting the deaths and said 51 others were brought to the hospital with injuries. Fifteen other bodies that were previously deceased were recovered, the ministry added.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Saturday that it had identified two Hamas operatives “operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops” and saw others collecting drone-operating equipment.
Israel’s military released six names purportedly belonging to the group it was targeting.
Hamas denied the allegations in a statement from the Government Media Office in Gaza and said the names released by Israel were inaccurate. According to the statement, one of the individuals identified by the IDF is alive, while others had no part in the team allegedly targeted by Israel.
NBC News has reached out to the IDF for comment on the alleged inaccuracies identified by Hamas.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in January, but the temporary pause in hostilities has been undermined by mutual accusations of violations. Hamas has delayed the release of hostages at different times, while Israeli strikes have continued sporadically in Gaza.
On Friday, Hamas agreed to release Edan Alexander, the last living U.S. citizen held hostage in Gaza. Four children were killed in an Israeli drone strike on the same day.
The first phase of the ceasefire expired earlier this month and the second phase is designed for the release of male hostages. This stage of the agreement is intended to initiate talks for a long-term end to the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli leader sent negotiators to Egypt to meet with “senior Egyptian officials to discuss the issue of the hostages.” Hamas previously said that it was ready for the next round of talks.
Netanyahu met Saturday with the negotiating team and ministers to discuss a proposal from Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, that would see the release of the 11 living hostages in Gaza and the recovery of half the hostages who were killed.
