Israeli strikes kill 13 in Gaza, Israeli minister says no deal to halt attacks

JERUSALEM, Aug 2:  Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 13 Palestinians, despite US President Donald Trump's announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year's Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Sunday that there was no deal to halt attacks on Gaza and that he saw a need for Israel, which already controls 70% of the Strip, to take full control of it.

Cohen is a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu's security cabinet, a small circle of ministers that oversees security and diplomatic policy.
Palestinian health officials said Israeli warplanes carried out separate strikes across the enclave in the northern Gaza City, central city of Deir al-Balah, and the southern area of Khan Younis.

A man and his wife were killed and four people were wounded in an airstrike on an apartment in Deir al-Balah, while two more people, including a child, were killed in a strike on an apartment in Gaza City, medics said.

A father, mother, and their 9-year-old son were killed around dawn after a strike on a house in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Another person was killed near Jabalia in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said the strikes in Deir al-Balah were targeting two commanders of Hamas' elite "Nukhba" force. The Gaza City and Jabalia strikes also targeted "military operatives" but the military was still reviewing the situation, it said.

At least 1,230 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since a ceasefire was reached in October.
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