At least 50 Palestinians killed in Gaza, says local health authority

According to the Gaza Strip Health Authority, which is controlled by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at least 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA had previously reported at least eleven civilian deaths and an unspecified number of injuries in the southern city of Khan Yunis and the Nuseirat area in central Gaza.

The reports come as efforts to reach a ceasefire in Cairo continue and Hamas sends a delegation.

Israel has been waging war against Hamas since October 2023 and the army reported ongoing heavy fighting in the south, center and north of the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, the army called on residents of Gaza City to flee west to the sea to avoid impending military confrontations.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli soldiers have since advanced into the area, killing several people and destroying what they say is terrorist infrastructure.

According to the health authority, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, more than 40,000 people have been killed and over 90,000 injured in the Gaza Strip. Israel claims to have killed at least 14,000 armed people.

The war began after Hamas and other extremist groups killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7.