Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel delays ceasefire vote

At least 83 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza amid talk of a ceasefire and hostage deal between the Jewish nation and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in a tweet on Thursday, said the strikes were conducted on approximately 50 terrorist targets across Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

“Before the strikes, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the use of aerial surveillance, precise munitions, and additional intelligence,” the IDF said.

Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense, said 23 children and 27 women were among those killed.

Israel blamed Hamas for “exploiting the civilian population” to carry out terror attacks.

“The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of these terrorist organizations,” the tweet added.

The attack, which is the highest death toll in a week, comes after negotiators said an agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel—with the first phase of the deal expected to start on Sunday and last for six weeks.

However, Israel has yet to give a nod to the deal.

A cabinet meeting was expected to take place on Thursday, but the Israeli prime minister’s office said “last-minute hurdles” were still being resolved at the negotiating table in Doha.

The full vote session was moved to Saturday.