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At least 17 dead in Israeli attack in central Gaza, health officials say

STORY: At least 17 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike in the Gaza town of Zawayda on Saturday, health officials said. The attack came as Israel issued new evacuation orders, citing Hamas rocket fire nearby. Abu Ahmed Hassan, a neighbor and witness, spoke to Reuters afterward and said: “They were sleeping in their beds, they were children and babies, when three rockets targeted their house. The location is obvious and known, it is known that Abu Jawad is a fish and meat merchant. If they attack merchants, what about other people?” Most of those killed in the attack were from the same family and included eight children and four women, according to health officials. In response, the Israeli military said it had attacked militant targets in an area from which rockets had been fired at its forces… adding that the incident was being reviewed. Separately, cameras in Nuseirat captured the moment an Israeli strike hit a residential building… as a man and a child ran for cover. After the explosion, Palestinians could be seen carrying the injured out of the building. Fire in central Gaza.Some try to extinguish the flames with buckets of water.Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced by Israel’s 10-month-long offensive.The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas militants invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.:: December 2023:: Rafah, GazaIsrael’s subsequent military campaign has reduced large parts of Gaza to rubble and killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian health authorities.:: Zawayda, GazaCeasefire talks in Doha, brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, were suspended on Friday. Negotiators will meet again next week.:: FileThe Israeli negotiating team expressed “cautious optimism” on Saturday about the possibility of reaching an agreement, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.