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Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 13 people on Thursday, Palestinian health officials reported, as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to announce appointments to his Board of Peace overseeing the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Among the dead was at least one child in northern Gaza, following multiple strikes there and east of Gaza City, according to health officials and family members. The Israeli military stated Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launch by militants from the Gaza City area.
The phased ceasefire, which began nearly three months ago, remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza. Implementation of the peace plan has moved slowly since taking effect on October 10.
President Trump is expected to announce next week his appointments to the Board of Peace, which he has said he will personally lead. This announcement represents a significant step forward in his Middle East peace initiative, according to officials speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Thursday that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov would serve as the board’s “designated” director-general. Mladenov brings substantial diplomatic experience to the role, having previously served as Bulgaria’s defense and foreign minister before appointments as the U.N. envoy to Iraq and later as the U.N. Mideast peace envoy from 2015 to 2020. During his tenure as peace envoy, Mladenov maintained good working relationships with Israeli officials and frequently mediated Israel-Hamas tensions.
The Trump peace plan assigns the board responsibility for supervising a new technocratic Palestinian government, overseeing Hamas disarmament, deploying an international security force, managing Israeli troop withdrawals, and coordinating reconstruction efforts. U.S. officials acknowledge limited progress on these objectives thus far.
On Thursday, Egyptian officials and European Union leaders met in Cairo to discuss the crisis. They emphasized the urgent need for deploying the proposed international stabilization force. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that Hamas continues to resist disarmament efforts and described the ongoing situation as “extremely severe.”
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement. Palestinian health officials report that continued Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed more than 400 Palestinians since the truce began. The Israeli military maintains that all actions taken since the ceasefire have been in response to violations of the agreement by Hamas and other militant groups.
Thursday’s casualties included an 11-year-old girl who had dreams of becoming a doctor, along with a teenage girl and two boys residing in a tent camp, according to relatives and health officials. At least a dozen others were injured in the strikes, hospital officials confirmed.
On Friday, relatives gathered to mourn a 16-year-old girl and her two nephews who were killed in their tent in southern Gaza. “What safety? What truce?” lamented Rudaina al-Qedra, the mother and grandmother of the deceased.
Palestinians who had evacuated areas targeted by Israeli strikes returned to find their temporary shelters destroyed. In Gaza City, many searched through debris, some digging with shovels while others used their bare hands to locate their belongings.
“We returned and couldn’t find our tents, our clothes, or our food,” said Abu Tareq Erouq, a displaced resident. “We have been digging since the morning, and we couldn’t find anything.”
The ongoing violence underscores the fragility of the ceasefire agreement and the significant challenges facing Trump’s Board of Peace as it attempts to establish lasting stability in a region marked by decades of conflict and deep-seated mistrust between the parties involved.
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8 Comments
Tragic to see more loss of life in Gaza. The Israel-Hamas conflict seems intractable, but the new Board of Peace offers a glimmer of hope if they can find creative solutions to longstanding disputes.
Agreed, a fresh approach may be needed to break the cycle of violence. Let’s hope the Board members have the wisdom and political will to chart a path forward.
Civilians should never be the victims of violence. While the strikes are worrying, I’m hopeful the Board of Peace can work to protect innocent lives and advance the peace process.
This is a very delicate situation that requires careful diplomacy to avoid further escalation of violence. I hope the Board of Peace can make meaningful progress towards a lasting ceasefire and peace agreement.
The ongoing conflict is deeply troubling. I’m curious to see who Trump appoints to the Board of Peace and what their strategy will be to try to stabilize the situation.
Meaningful progress on the Israel-Palestine issue has eluded many previous administrations. I hope this new initiative can chart a different course and bring the parties closer to a durable solution.
While the strikes are concerning, I’m cautiously optimistic that the Board of Peace can inject new momentum into the peace process. Careful diplomacy and compromise will be essential to make progress.
This conflict has raged for decades. I’m interested to see if the Board of Peace can bring fresh thinking and a renewed sense of urgency to resolve the longstanding disputes between Israel and Hamas.