Israeli airstrikes kill 38 Palestinians as truce negotiations reach critical point

Israeli warplanes launched a wave of strikes in Gaza yesterday, killing at least 38 Palestinians, according to hospital officials, as talks over a ceasefire in the devastated territory reached a critical point.

- Jason Burke Jerusalem Malak Tantesh Gaza

Officials at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said 18 people had been killed by the strikes in al-Mawasi, a nearby coastal area that is crowded by tented encampments housing those displaced by fighting elsewhere.

According to the ministry of health in Gaza, a total of 80 people were killed and 304 wounded in Israeli attacks there over the last 24 hours.

Israel has escalated its offensive in recent days as momentum gathers in negotiations over a US-sponsored proposal that could lead to an end to the 21-month war.

Speaking as he left Israel for talks with Donald Trump in Washington on the ceasefire and other regional issues, Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he was determined to ensure the return of hostages held in Gaza and to remove the threat of Hamas, reiterating promises he has made repeatedly throughout the conflict.

"I believe the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results," Israel's prime minister told the Channel 12 TV network.

A draft of the proposed agreement for a 60-day pause in hostilities seen by the Guardian specifies that Trump himself would announce a deal, which some hoped might be concluded before his meeting with Netanyahu scheduled for today.