Israeli drone strikes in Rafah kill three Palestinians amid escalating violence and fragile ceasefire talks in Cairo.
Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed three Palestinians and wounded several in the southern governorate of Rafah as Hamas and Egyptian officials meet in Cairo for talks on the future of a precarious ceasefire.
On Saturday morning, an Israeli drone targeted a group of people east of Rafah city, killing two Palestinians. Our colleagues on the ground reported that one person was also killed by Israeli fire in at-Tannour, also east of Rafah.
Since Friday night, Rafah has been the target of intense Israeli attacks from tanks and drones with shelling impacting residential areas, including al-Jnaina, ash-Shawka and Tal as-Sultan, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 48,453 Palestinians have been killed and 111,860 wounded by Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023.
At the same time, the head of the enclave’s Government Media Office reported on Saturday in marking International Women’s Day that 12,316 women have been killed throughout the war.
“Women’s Day coincides with the continuation of the Israeli siege and the prevention of aid as women live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions and suffer from starvation and thirst,” Salama Maarouf said.
At least 2,000 women and girls have been permanently disabled due to amputations, according to government data.
Ceasefire talks
Amid the ongoing attacks, a Hamas delegation arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Friday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire.
According to the AFP news agency, two senior Hamas members are part of a high-level delegation that is expected to talk to Egyptian officials on Saturday about the next phase of the ceasefire.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said Palestinians are waiting for any news about the deal.
“We know that the first phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1, and Israel and Hamas agreed on a truce for a week. Today, that truce comes to an end,” Khoudary reported. “Palestinians are very anxious and stressed that the second phase of the ceasefire hasn’t taken effect yet. People here are waiting for any news from these negotiations and feel that this ceasefire is fragile.”
As Palestinians wait for news of the ceasefire, the Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid is putting immense pressure on people already struggling to get by.
“This blockade is suffocating Palestinians. They are saying they never imagined that a ceasefire and Ramadan would come and that they would not be able to cook their favourite dishes,” Khoudary explained, adding that community kitchens are now running out of stock.
At the end of February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said humanitarian aid would no longer enter Gaza in retaliation for Hamas not accepting Israel’s proposal for phase one of the ceasefire to be extended.
Meanwhile, more than 50 freed Israeli captives urged Netanyahu to fully implement the Gaza ceasefire and secure the release of those still held in Gaza.
“We who have experienced the inferno know that a return to war is life-threatening for those still left behind,” the 56 former captives said in a letter posted on Instagram. “Implement the agreement in full in one single manoeuvre.”