Ahead of ceasefire talks in Cairo, Israeli strikes kill over 20

Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah have killed at least 22 people, including six women and five children, Palestinian health officials said, as Hamas leaders arrived in Cairo for a new round of truce talks. One of the children killed in the strikes overnight into Monday was just 5 days old.

Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes on Rafah since the start of the war and has threatened to send in ground troops, saying Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold in the coastal enclave. The United States and others have urged Israel not to invade, fearing a humanitarian catastrophe.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Israel on his latest trip to the region, which began in Saudi Arabia on Monday.


He said Israel needs to do more to allow aid to enter Gaza, but that the best way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis is for the two sides to agree to a cease-fire.

Possible ICC action
Meanwhile, Israel is voicing concern that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could be preparing to issue arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to the conduct of its war against Hamas.

The ICC - which can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide - is investigating Hamas' October 7 attack and Israel's devastating assault on Gaza. In response to reports that the ICC might soon issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday warned Israeli embassies to bolster their security because of the risk of a "wave of severe anti-Semitism".