Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed three Palestinians and wounded several others in the southern governorate of Rafah, as Hamas officials visited Cairo to discuss the future of ceasefire agreement and Israel confirmed it would send a delegation to Qatar.
On Saturday morning, an Israeli drone targeted a group of people east of Rafah city, killing two Palestinians. Al Jazeera correspondents 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.
Civilians in Gaza are also continuing to struggle with a dire humanitarian crisis exacerbated by Israel’s decision last week to block aid deliveries into Gaza until Hamas accepted its terms for an extension of a ceasefire that had largely halted more than 15 months of fighting.
On Saturday, a Hamas statement said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was “committing the war crime of collective punishment against over two million Palestinian civilians through starvation and the deprivation of basic life necessities for the seventh consecutive day”.
“The repercussions of such crime extend beyond our people in Gaza to include the occupation’s prisoners [captives] held by the resistance, who are also affected by the lack of food, medicine and healthcare,” it added.
Ceasefire talks
The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce, which ended on March 1, had enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance into Gaza. However, there has been no agreement on what comes next.
Hamas has pushed for the second phase of the truce, which had been agreed to in principle, to begin. That phase would eventually see a complete end to fighting in exchange for the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas.
The Israeli government, meanwhile, has pushed for extending the first phase until mid-April to achieve the release of more captives. That plan would not rule out an eventual return to fighting.
On Friday, a senior Hamas delegation arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo to meet mediators to work on establishing the next phase of the truce.
On Saturday, A Hamas spokesperson said there were “positive indicators” that talks on the second phase could soon begin. Netanyahu’s office, meanwhile, said Israel will send a delegation to Doha on Monday to advance the negotiations.
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, she added.
“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.
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.”