20 killed in central Gaza airstrike

Twenty people in central Gaza were killed following an Israeli airstrike on Sunday as fighting continued to ravage the region over the weekend.

Records from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital showed that twenty people were killed in the airstrike in Nuseirat, which is a Palestinian refugee camp that has been around since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The hospital, located in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah, recovered the bodies, which were mostly women and children.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said that a separate strike in Nuseirat killed an additional five people, according to AP.

The war in Gaza has killed about 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry that does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas following the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.

Israel has faced widespread criticism for its actions in Gaza from world leaders, including President Biden, about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the territory. Biden warned Netanyahu repeatedly against launching a full invasion into the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians were seeking refuge at one point.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Israel on Sunday to meet with senior officials, including Netanyahu, about the ongoing negotiations to get the hostages being held by Hamas released and to win a truce in the war.

The Biden administration also said the officials will discuss “the humanitarian crisis” in the region and “our shared objective for the enduring defeat of Hamas through both military pressure and a political plan.”

The Associated Press contributed.

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