RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli and American officials will meet in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the aftermath of war in Gaza, despite no sign that the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands and pushed its largest city into famine, is nearing its end.
Their meeting comes as ceasefire talks show little apparent movement and outrage mounts over deadly Israeli strikes on a southern Gaza hospital that killed 20, including journalists and emergency responders.
Israel's military said it would investigate the hospital attack. In initial findings Tuesday, it offered no immediate explanation for striking twice and no evidence for an assertion that six of the dead were militants.
U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would chair the meeting, which would feature “a very comprehensive plan we’re putting together on the next day.” He did not offer details.
Talks about the strip’s future are unfolding as aid groups warn an expanded Israeli offensive could worsen the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory, where most residents are displaced, neighborhoods lie in ruins, and parts teeter on famine.
The meeting comes nine days after Hamas said it accepted a ceasefire plan from Arab mediators, following Israel’s announced plans to seize Gaza’s biggest city, where some health and infrastructure services remain online and hundreds of thousands are sheltering.
An official from Qatar, one of the countries mediating the talks, said last week that the proposal under discussion was “almost identical” to an earlier draft that Witkoff put forth and Israel accepted. Hamas and Israel have both previously announced acceptance of truces under discussion. But many have fallen apart, with both sides accusing the other of last minute changes.
The deal said to be under discussion would include a 60-day truce, the release of some hostages held by Hamas in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and a road map toward talks on a lasting ceasefire.
Many in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition oppose such a phased deal. Israel has pressed ahead with plans to mobilize tens of thousands of reservists for an expanded offensive.
On Wednesday, hospitals reported at least 10 casualties, including one near an aid distribution site in central Gaza and at a displacement camp in southern Gaza.
An Israeli strike killed three people, including a child and a woman, and injured 21 others when it hit displaced people’s tents in Khan Younis overnight on Wednesday, the Kuwait Specialized Field Hospital said. Three separate Israeli strikes killed at least six others in Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital said on Wednesday.
Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about the strikes. Its military offensive has killed more than 62,819 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.
Protests have swelled in Israel, with families of hostages and their supporters urging a ceasefire. The government argues that a broadened offensive is the best way to bring them home and cripple Hamas' capacity to launch such attacks again.
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Abou Aljoud reported from Beirut, Lebanon. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Sam Metz And Sally Abou Aljoud, The Associated Press
