Israeli strikes kill 100 Palestinians in 24 hours as officials hold ceasefire talks

Over 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip in 24 hours, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said Friday (23 February).

In the meantime, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh held talks with Egyptian officials about a possible ceasefire in Gaza and an exchange of hostages held by the militants for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, according to a Hamas statement Friday morning, reports the Washington Post.

During Hamas' Oct 7 attack on southern Israel, militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages, the Washington Post report stated.

Roughly half of the hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November. About 100 hostages remain in captivity, in addition to the bodies of 30 others who were killed on Oct 7 or died in captivity, it added.

Meanwhile, it also said Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians and driven some 80% of the territory's 2.3 million people from their homes.

Most heeded Israeli orders to flee south, and around 1.5 million are packed into Rafah near the border with Egypt.

European diplomats have ramped up calls for a cease-fire as alarm grows over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.