GAZA CITY, July 6 (TNF): Israeli strikes killed 32 people across Gaza on Saturday. The attack came just hours after Hamas said it was ready to begin talks “immediately” on a US-backed ceasefire plan.
An Israeli official said no decision had been made yet on Hamas’s positive response. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit Washington on Monday for talks. US President Donald Trump has stepped up calls for an end to the war.
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the dead included eight people killed in two school strikes in Gaza City. Another eight died near an aid centre in southern Gaza when Israeli forces opened fire.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Trump to stop Israeli attacks on Gaza aid centres. The UN says Israeli forces have killed over 500 people at these sites. Erdogan said he raised the issue during a June NATO summit.
“I asked him to intervene, saying, ‘You are the one who can best manage this process with Netanyahu.’ People are being killed in food queues. You need to act so these people are not killed,” Erdogan said, as reported Saturday by Anadolu news agency.
Erdogan said Hamas had shown goodwill and wanted peace. His spy chief and foreign minister recently met senior Hamas leaders.
He added that US pressure on Israel would be key to securing a 60-day truce. “The issue of guarantees is especially important,” Erdogan said.
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