The China Mail - Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill over 50 as ceasefire calls mount

The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.

US President Donald Trump has recently urged Israel to "make the deal in Gaza", while key mediator Qatar said Monday that "momentum" had been created by the truce with Iran last week.

But on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory in a bid to destroy the militant group Hamas.

Gaza's civil defence agency said 51 people had been killed by Israeli forces on Monday, including 24 in a strike on a rest area on Gaza City's seafront.

"The place is always crowded with people because the rest area offers drinks, family seating and internet access," eyewitness Ahmed Al-Nayrab, 26, told AFP, recalling a "huge explosion that shook the area".

"I saw body parts flying everywhere, and bodies cut and burned... It was a scene that made your skin crawl."

Another eyewitness, Bilal Awkal, 35, said "blood covered the ground and screams filled the air".

"Women and children were everywhere, like a scene from a movie about the end of the world."

Approached for comment by AFP, the Israeli army said it was "looking into" the reports.

The Hamas government media office reported that photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab was among those killed in the strike.

Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.

- 'Targeting was deliberate' -

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 27 others were killed by Israeli strikes or fire across Gaza, including 11 near aid points in the centre and south.

Eyewitnesses and local authorities have reported repeated killings of Palestinians near distribution centres in recent weeks, after Israel began allowing in a trickle of aid at the end of May.

Samir Abu Jarbou, 28, told AFP by phone that he had gone with relatives to pick up food in an area of central Gaza around midnight.

"Suddenly the (Israeli) army opened fire, and drones started shooting. We ran away and got nothing," he said.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, the dead and wounded were rushed to a hospital in an open-top trailer after aid seekers said they were fired on by Israeli forces in Rafah.

"The targeting was deliberate, aimed at people as they were leaving," eyewitness Aboud al-Adwi told AFP.

"There was no one among us who was wanted or posed any threat. We were all civilians, simply trying to get food for our children," he added.

AFP footage from Nasser Hospital showed the wounded being treated on a blood-stained floor.

The Israeli military did not immediately provide comment when asked by AFP about the civil defence reports.

- 'No longer any benefit' -

Netanyahu had said on Sunday that Israel's "victory" over Iran had created "opportunities", including for freeing hostages.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, called for an end to the fighting in the territory on Monday, saying there was "no longer any benefit" to the war.

"We now face the completion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve its objectives -- foremost among them, the release of all hostages and the defeat of Hamas," Defence Minister Israel Katz said during a meeting with Netanyahu and the army's general staff.

Trump had said on Friday that he was hoping for a new ceasefire in Gaza "within the next week". Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is in Washington this week for talks with US officials.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told journalists on Monday that "momentum" had been created by the Iran-Israel ceasefire on June 24, but that "we won't hold our breath for this to happen today and tomorrow".

Israel launched its campaign in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

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