Gaza truce talks in Cairo as heavy fighting rages on
Mediators in Cairo made a renewed push for a Gaza ceasefire, but differences remained as fighting raged on Sunday between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Palestinian territory gripped by desperate food shortages. Witnesses said that an Israeli strike hit an aid truck in central Gaza, killing several people, but the military denied the truck carried relief. Envoys from the United States, Qatar and Hamas arrived in Cairo, Egyptian state-linked media reported on Sunday, the latest effort towards a six-week truce, stepped-up aid deliveries and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. But sticking points remained, including a Hamas demand that Israeli forces entirely withdraw from the Gaza Strip after almost five months of devastating war. And Israel, which has so far announced no plans to join the Egypt talks, has demanded Hamas provide it with a list of all 130 remaining captives, including more than 30 who are feared dead. The war broke out on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally of official figures. Earlier, 90 Palestinians were killed within 24 hours, said the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry, which put the war's overall death toll at 30,410, mostly women and children. (AFP)