Israeli strikes kill 13 in Gaza, minister says no deal to halt attacks

Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least nine Palestinians.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 13 Palestinians, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s Gaza ceasefire agreement.

From dawn, Israeli warplanes hit Gaza City in the north, the central city of ⁠Deir al-Balah and the southern area of Khan Younis, causing the biggest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials.

Trump’s assertion on Thursday that Palestinian Hamas militants and other armed groups had agreed to disarm had raised hopes of a turning point in the conflict.

On Sunday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen — a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet — told Israel’s Army Radio the government would give Hamas the opportunity to disarm but said he was “very sceptical” that would happen.

Cohen added ⁠that there had been no deal to halt attacks on Gaza and that he ​saw ⁠a need for Israel — which already controls 70% of the enclave — to take full control of it if Hamas did not disarm.