---
title: "Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza as US pushes for ceasefire"
description: "CAIRO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed at least 22 people on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said, as the U.S. stepped up efforts to overcome sticking points between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire to end the war."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Middle East conflict"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-08-israeli-strikes-kill-dozens-in-gaza-as-us-pushes-for-ceasefire/"
published: "2025-01-08T12:37:10"
updated: "2025-01-08T12:37:16"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 409
---

# Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza as US pushes for ceasefire

> CAIRO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed at least 22 people on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said, as the U.S. stepped up efforts to overcome sticking points between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire to end the war.

By Reuters · Published 8 January 2025, 14:37 SAST · Updated 8 January 2025, 14:37 SAST

## Key points
- As airstrikes continue to rain down on Gaza, claiming lives in a tragic tally that now exceeds 46,000, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt scramble to broker a ceasefire amidst a standoff where both sides stubbornly cling to conditions that have derailed peace talks for over a year—because why not add a little drama to the already explosive situation?
- Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulted in multiple casualties, including 10 in Sheikh Radwan and 24 across the Strip on Tuesday, with many women and children among the dead.
- The U.S., Qatar, and Egypt are intensifying efforts for a ceasefire, marking the most serious negotiations in months as the Biden administration approaches its end.
- Hamas insists on the release of hostages in exchange for a halt to the war, while Israel demands the dismantling of Hamas before any ceasefire.
- Nearly 46,000 Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict, which escalated after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

## Content

One of the airstrikes killed at least 10 people in a multi-storey house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City on Wednesday, while another killed five in the nearby Zeitoun suburb, medics said.

In Deir Al-Balah city in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering, an Israeli airstrike killed three other people.

In Jabalia, where the army has operated for more than three weeks, an Israeli airstrike killed four people, medics said.

On Tuesday, Israeli military strikes killed at least 24 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, medics said, with two airstrikes hitting tent encampments in Mawasi, to the west of the southern city of Khan Younis, killing 18 people. The dead included several women and children.

There was no comment by the Israeli military on those incidents.

As Israeli continued its bombardments, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt were making the most intensive effort in months to reach a ceasefire, with one source close to the talks saying this was the most serious attempt to reach a deal so far.

The outgoing U.S. administration has called for a final push for a deal before [President Joe Biden](https://www.reuters.com/topic/person/joe-biden/) leaves office, and many in the region view President-elect [Donald Trump's](https://www.reuters.com/topic/person/donald-trump/) inauguration on Jan. 20 as an unofficial deadline.

"Things are better than ever before, but there is no deal yet," the source told Reuters.

But with the clock ticking, both sides accuse the other of blocking a deal by adhering to conditions that have torpedoed all [previous peace efforts](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AS8N3KS073&linkedFromStory=true) for more than a year.

On Tuesday, Hamas stood by its demand that it will only free its remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.

Hamas also said that Trump was rash to say there would be "[hell to pay](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AS0N3ME06X&linkedFromStory=true)" unless the hostages go free by his inauguration.

Osama Hamdan, an official with the Islamist group, told a news conference in Algiers on Tuesday: "I think the U.S. president must make more disciplined and diplomatic statements."

Nearly 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave. The assault was launched after Hamas fighters stormed Israeli territory on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Sharon Singleton)