The time is now,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken declared, urging Hamas to accept the terms of a proposed truce. He also made clear that he expected more from Israel.

Mughrabi CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli airstrikes on three houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed at least 20 Palestinians and wounded many others, medics said on Monday, as Egyptian and Qatari mediators were expected to hold a new round of ceasefire talks with Hamas leaders in Cairo.

Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah have killed at least 22 people, including six women and five children, according to Palestinian health officials. One of the children killed in the strikes overnight into Monday was just 5 days old. The strikes hit three family homes with those killed taken to Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital.