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CAIRO: Israeli air strikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s Gaza ceasefire agreement.
From dawn, Israeli warplanes hit Gaza City in the north, the central city of Deir al-Balah and the southern area of Khan Yunis, causing the biggest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials.
Trump’s assertion on Thursday that Palestinian Hamas and other groups had agreed to disarm had raised hopes of a turning point in the conflict.
On Sunday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told Israel’s Army Radio the government would give Hamas the opportunity to disarm but said he was “very sceptical” that would happen.
