UN WARNS FAMINE IS IMMINENT

ISRAEL and Hamas resumed ceasefire negotiations in Qatar yesterday as Israeli airstrikes intensified and military forces mobilised for a new ground assault in Gaza.

- By Marco Giannangeli

Palestinian health officials reported at least 146 people killed on Friday and yesterday, with hundreds more wounded and many still trapped beneath rubble.

Gaza's health authorities said more than 53,000 people have been killed since the war began in 2023.

And the past three days have marked one of the deadliest phases since the March collapse of a previous ceasefire.

Israel's latest campaign, Operation Gideon's Chariots, follows a visit to the Middle East by US President Donald Trump, and is aimed at securing "operational control" over further territory in Gaza.

Since March, it has blocked all supply deliveries into the war-torn strip, triggering international alarm over the fate of its 2.3 million residents.

Yesterday, both sides confirmed that indirect talks had resumed in Doha. Hamas spokesman Taher Al-Nono said discussions were under way "without preconditions", covering a potential prisoner exchange, Israeli withdrawal, and the restoration of humanitarian access.