Israel says it killed Oct. 7 attack suspect who worked for U.S.-based charity

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had killed a militant who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and who it said was employed by a U.S.-based charity, World Central Kitchen, in Gaza.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that three employees of World Central Kitchen were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a civilian vehicle in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The military did not offer any evidence and Reuters could not independently verify the man's identity and whether he took part in the attack on Israel last year. 

There was no immediate comment from World Central Kitchen on the Israeli statement.

Hamas did not immediately comment.

Medics in the enclave said that a total of five people were killed in the strike, which they said targeted a vehicle east of Khan Younis.

In a later attack in Khan Younis, medics said at least nine Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a car near a crowd receiving flour, a vehicle that was used by security personnel tasked with overseeing aid deliveries into Gaza. 

The Israeli military rejects allegations that it deliberately targets civilians in its Gaza campaign, accusing Hamas of operating from civilian facilities and using civilians as shields, which the group denies.

Overall, at least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave overnight and into Saturday, Gaza medics said.

Among those, at least seven died in an Israeli strike on a house in central Gaza City, according to a statement from the Gaza Civil Defense and WAFA early on Saturday.

NEW CEASEFIRE EFFORTS

Meanwhile leaders of Hamas were expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, two officials of the group told Reuters.

The visit is the first since the United States announced earlier this week it would revive efforts in collaboration with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. 

The Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian security officials to explore ways to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel that could secure the release of hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners. 

Progress before now has been limited in a series of on-off talks over months.

Hamas is seeking an agreement that would end the war while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the war will end only when Hamas is eradicated.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 44,382 people and displaced nearly all of the enclave's population at least once, Gaza officials say. Vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins.

The conflict was triggered 13 months ago when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and capturing over 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.