Israeli strikes kill at least 34 Palestinians amid ceasefire talks

Palestinians news agency Wafa reported that the killing raised the death toll in Gaza last day (Monday) to at least 34.

At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, a statement by Gaza's health ministry said on Monday.

Some 34 were killed and 68 injured in the last 24 hours, the statement added.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that Egypt was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip but that it was waiting for a response on the proposal from Israel and Hamas.

Shoukry was speaking on a panel in Riyadh with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who said the war in Gaza had turned "Israel into a pariah state".

The United States has seen "measurable progress" in the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the past few weeks, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Monday, but urged Israel to do more.

Speaking in Riyadh at the opening of a US-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, Blinken said the most effective way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was to achieve a ceasefire. He also said Washington continued efforts to prevent the Gaza war from expanding.

Talks on a ceasefire in Gaza are progressing, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on Monday in Riyadh, where he was due to meet other ministers of Arab and Western countries as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire," he told reporters.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday in Riyadh, where they discussed the urgent need to reduce tensions in the region, the US Department of State said in a statement.

Blinken also underscored the need for sustaining an increase in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, reaching an immediate ceasefire that secures the release of hostages and preventing the possible further spread of the conflict, the State Department said.

Blinken is in Saudi Arabia as part of a broader trip to the Middle East aimed at discussing with Arab partners post-war Gaza and to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take steps US President Joe Biden demanded this month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.