The children and their mother were killed when a missile hit a home in Deir al-Balah.
in central Gaza overnight, medical officials said, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal.
The fresh strike in Gaza comes just a day after an Israeli strike killed at least 15 people, all from the same family, in the al-Zawayda area of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Nine children were among those killed, according to Gaza Civil Defence.Israeli protesters set a fire during a demonstration calling for a hostages deal.
Israel's campaign in Gaza – launched following the Hamas attacks of October 7 – has killed more than 40,000 people and reduced much of the territory to rubble. Adding to Gazans' woes, doctors this week detected the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years.Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip flee from Hamad City. Blinken's arrival comes amid urgent efforts to finalise an elusive Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
US officials including President Joe Biden have expressed fresh optimism of finalising a ceasefire agreement. "We hold Netanyahu fully responsible for thwarting the mediators' efforts, obstructing reaching an agreement, and the full responsibility for the lives of his soldiers who are exposed to the same danger our people face, due to his continued aggression and deliberate targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip," the statement continued.
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