A cousin of a Palestinian child killed in an Israeli strike holds the body in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on Tuesday. Reuters

Israeli tank and drone strikes in Gaza on Wednesday killed at least 17 people, according to hospital staff and the media journalists who counted the bodies.

The strikes happened in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the south.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Wednesday launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night.

The attacks came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signalled that challenges remain. Diplomatic efforts had redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, both blamed on Israel, and threats of retaliation.

Meanwhile, key mediator Egypt expressed scepticism Wednesday as more details emerged of the proposal meant to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinians inspect the damage at a residential building after Israeli bombardment in Gaza. AFP

Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that the Hamas group will not agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons – ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israel forces from Gaza and end the war.

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said.

Hamas is believed to still be holding around 110 hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war. Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead. During the Oct. 7 attack, the Palestinian group Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The war has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times.

Associated Press