Israel strikes kill nine amid Egypt-hosted Gaza ceasefire talks

Israeli airstrikes on a Hamas‑run police station in Khan Younis and a vehicle in Gaza City killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded dozens as Egypt began a new round of United States‑brokered ceasefire negotiations in Cairo. The police post attack killed five people and injured 16, while the vehicle strike killed four and injured four more.

The talks, involving Egyptian mediators alongside representatives from Hamas, other Palestinian factions, Qatar and Turkey, aim to preserve a fragile truce that has held since October. A key dispute centers on the future of Hamas’s roughly 10,000‑member police force, which Israel refuses to integrate into any post‑war security arrangement. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire; Israeli strikes have killed more than 950 Palestinians since the truce began, while Palestinian militants have killed four Israeli soldiers. The negotiations are expected to continue for several days.