Khan Younis
\nIsraeli air strikes are continuing in Gaza ahead of the ceasefire agreement and hostage deal with Hamas, which comes into effect on Sunday, subject to the Israeli cabinet\u2019s approval.
\nThe strikes killed 73 people overnight, following the announcement of the deal, Gaza\u2019s Hamas-run civil defence agency reported.
\nVictims include 12 people who were living in a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, the health ministry said.
\nThe Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) initially said \u201ca fallen projectile\u201d had been identified in southern Israel on Thursday, but later said it had been wrongly identified.
\nIsrael has previously launched air strikes in the run-up to ceasefire arrangements taking effect, most recently in Lebanon, where heavy bombing hit the capital, Beirut, just hours before the ceasefire there in November.
\nA doctor in Gaza City\u2019s Baptist Hospital said staff \u201cdid not rest for one minute\u201d during the \u201cbloody night\u201d.
\n\u201cThe injured kept on coming,\u201d Dr Amjad Eliwah told the BBC. \u201cThe dead were sent directly to the morgue.\u201d
\nHe said \u201cfor a little while, everyone was happy and joyful\u201d, following news of the ceasefire.
\n\u201cThen the same people who were happy were dead.\u201d
\nStrikes were carried out on 50 targets over the past day, the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency said in a statement.
\nIsrael\u2019s forces overnight killed a man described as having been involved in Hamas\u2019s 7 October attack , the statement also said.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to ratify the Gaza ceasefire agreement in parliament on Thursday, but his office alleges Hamas has \u201creneged\u201d on parts of the agreement, prompting a \u201clast-minute crisis\u201d.
\nIt adds the cabinet will not convene until Hamas has accepted \u201call elements of the agreement\u201d.
\nA senior Hamas official told the BBC that his movement was committed to the agreement announced by the mediators and that the head of its delegation, Khalil al-Hayya, had officially informed Qatar and Egypt of its approval of all the terms of the agreement.
\nTwo hardline right-wing ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have long threatened to quit the government coalition if the ceasefire goes ahead.
\nThat could prompt fresh elections in Israel, but their resignations will not block the deal if Netanyahu wants it to happen, observers say.
\nThe prime minister of Qatar – which mediated negotiations – has called for \u201ccalm\u201d on both sides before the start of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal.
\nThis will see 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
\nIsraeli forces will also withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas of Gaza.
\nDisplaced Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries will finally be allowed into the territory each day.
\nNegotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a return to \u201csustainable calm\u201d – will start on the 16th day.
\nThe third and final stage will involve the return of any remaining hostages\u2019 bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years.
\nAchim Steiner from the United Nations Development Programme told the BBC\u2019s Newsday programme that the reconstruction of Gaza would be a huge challenge, given the massive destruction inflicted by the war.
\nHe said 40 million tons of \u201ctoxic\u201d rubble needed to be removed before Gazans could return to where their houses used to be.
\n\u201cThis is a very complex undertaking that we are now confronted with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Khan Younis Israeli air strikes are continuing in Gaza ahead of the ceasefire agreement and hostage deal with Hamas, which comes into effect on Sunday, subject to the Israeli cabinet\u2019s approval. The strikes killed 73 people overnight, following the announcement of the deal, Gaza\u2019s Hamas-run civil defence agency reported. Victims include 12 people who were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-456116","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n