Israel starts Gaza ground assault; no progress in talks

The Israeli military said Sunday it had begun "extensive ground operations" in northern and southern Gaza, stepping up its campaign in the enclave, where Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 130 people overnight.

Israel made its announcement after sources on both sides said there had been no progress in a new round of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Qatar.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the talks included discussions on a truce and hostage deal as well as a proposal to end the war.

A senior Israeli official said there had been no progress in the talks so far.

The Israeli military suggested in a later statement that it could still scale down operations to help reach a deal in Doha.

Gaza's Health Ministry said in the week to Sunday alone, at least 464 Palestinians were killed. The deaths of 130 or so Palestinians overnight are in addition to that figure.

"Complete families were wiped off the civil registration record by (overnight) Israeli bombardment," Khalil al-Deqran, Gaza health ministry spokesperson, said.

The Israeli campaign has devastated Gaza, pushing nearly all its 2.3mn residents from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March. International experts have warned of looming famine.

Asked about the Qatar talks, a Hamas official told Reuters: "Israel's position remains unchanged, they want to release the prisoners (hostages) without a commitment to end the war."

Hamas was still proposing releasing all Israeli hostages in return for an end to the war, the pull-out of Israeli troops, an end to a blockade on aid for Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners, he said.

Reports in Israeli and Arab media that Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar may have been killed could potentially complicate the Doha talks, which began on Saturday.

Hamas neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

One of Israel's overnight strikes hit a tent encampment housing displaced families in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing women and children, wounding dozens and setting tents ablaze, medics said.

Later Sunday, Gaza's health ministry said the Indonesian Hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in north Gaza, had ceased work because of Israeli fire.