Israel bombs Gaza as mediators to discuss truce-hostage plan
Israel's military pounded central Gaza with heavy air strikes on Wednesday as US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators planned to resume talks on a truce and hostage release deal.
Tensions were high in annexed east Jerusalem where thousands of police were deployed to guard Israel's annual "flag march" that has sparked clashes between Jews and Arabs in previous years.
The bloodiest ever Gaza war, sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, raged on unabated with jets bombing targets overnight and Palestinian officials reporting yet more deaths.
![Smoke plumes billow near tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/2024-06/dbc33068b1f7a06e8a884b6c9cdf01be84f797da.jpg?h=69f2b9d0&itok=HEVnSONu)