As Israel and Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement, Israel says it wants to maintain troops in a southern corridor of the Gaza Strip — a condition that could derail the talks.

An Israeli strike hit Palestinians near a medical centre in Gaza on Thursday, killing 16 including children and wounding more people, local health authorities said, as ceasefire talks dragged on with no result expected soon.

Israel 's offensive, which began after Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took 250 hostage on October 7, 2023, has resulted in the deaths of more than 57,000 civilians, the majority of whom were women and children, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry.