Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH: Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as US President Donald Trump

was expected to announce the Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire.

Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City.

Israel’s army said Friday it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.

The phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final hostage in Gaza.

Officials say next week Trump is expected to announce the Board of Peace, which he has said he will head, marking an important step forward for his Mideast peace plan. The process has moved slowly since a ceasefire in October ended more than two

years of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

The US official and another official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.

On Thursday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov would be the “designated” director-general for the board.

Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defence and foreign minister who served as the UN envoy to Iraq before being appointed as

the UN Mideast peace envoy from 2015-2020. During that time, he had good working relations with Israel and frequently worked to ease tensions between

Israel and Hamas. agencies