32 Palestinians martyred in Israeli strikes in Gaza, medics say

Cairo (Reuters): The Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian it accused of involvement in Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel in a vehicle strike in Gaza, while medics said at least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave overnight and into Saturday.

The escalation comes as leaders of Hamas were expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to ceasefire in Lebanon, two officials of the group told Reuters.

Later on Saturday medics said nine people were killed when an Israeli air strike targeted a vehicle near a gathering of Palestinians receiving aid in the southern area of Khan Younis south of the enclave.

Residents and a Hamas source told Reuters that the vehicle targeted near a crowd receiving flour was used by security personnel tasked with overseeing aid deliveries into Gaza.

Among the 32 killed, at least seven died in an Israeli strike on a house in central Gaza City, according to a statement from the Gaza Civil Defense and the official Palestinian news agency WAFA early on Saturday.

The Gaza Civil Defense also reported that one of its officers was killed in attacks in northern Gaza's Jabalia, bringing the total number of civil defense workers killed since October 7, 2023, to 88.

The Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian it accused of involvement in Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel in a vehicle strike, and was investigating claims the individual was an employee of aid group World Central Kitchen.

Eight years after being forced out by Bashar al-Assad and his allies, Syrian rebels were again roaming the streets of Aleppo on Friday.

Earlier on Saturday, WAFA reported that three employees of World Central Kitchen, a U.S.-based, non-governmental humanitarian agency, were killed when a civilian vehicle was targeted in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The World Central Kitchen has not yet commented on the incident.