Israeli strikes kill more than 20 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn
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Israeli airstrikes killed over 20 Palestinians across Gaza since morning, with strikes concentrated on Gaza City.
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A Palestinian boy mourns over the bodies of his uncle, Mohammad Harb, and his cousin Leen Harb, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, August 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Wednesday that at least 20 Palestinians have been martyred since dawn as Israeli warplanes intensified bombardment across the Strip.
In Gaza City, six members of the al-Masri family were killed when their home was struck in what Al Mayadeen's correspondent described as a massacre. Heavy shelling continues in the al-Zeitoun neighborhood in the city's southeast, where the occupation has also stepped up the demolition of residential buildings in al-Sabra and al-Zeitoun.
Strikes also claimed nine lives in central Gaza. One Palestinian was martyred and others injured in raids on homes, while eight more were killed when Israeli forces targeted Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in the northern part of Nuseirat refugee camp. In southern Gaza, 21 Palestinians were injured after displaced persons' tents were hit in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis.
The latest attacks push the overall death toll from "Israel's" war on Gaza to more than 62,000 martyrs, with over 156,000 wounded since October 7, 2023.
#شاهد | يبكي وينادي على والده..
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 20, 2025
مشهد مؤلم لنجل الصحفي الشهيد إسلام الكومي خلال وداعه وتشييعه الذي ارتقى جراء قصف للاحتلال على حي الصبرة بمدينة غزة. pic.twitter.com/5vmrDT62Qe
Ceasefire talks
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are underway to halt the bloodshed. Egypt and Qatar have proposed a 60-day ceasefire plan, already accepted by Hamas, that would include a prisoner exchange and expanded humanitarian access.
Egyptian officials rejected Israeli media claims suggesting the deal involved transferring Hamas' weapons, insisting the focus is on halting hostilities and laying the groundwork for a permanent truce. The plan, backed by the US, is said to be "almost identical" to an earlier proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
While Hamas has endorsed the initiative, "Israel" has yet to issue an official response. Egyptian mediators have described the moment as a "real test" of Tel Aviv's willingness to negotiate, as pressure mounts to end the war amid staggering civilian deaths.
Read more: Gaza health system on the brink: Critical shortages, rising death toll
