Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza, including women and children

Officials have expressed mounting optimism that they can conclude an agreement in the coming days after more than a year of talks that have repeatedly stalled. Two strikes in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah killed two women and their four children, who ranged in age from 1 month to 9 years old. One of the women was pregnant and the baby did not survive, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.

Another 12 people were killed in two strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the European Hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel says it only targets militants and accuses them of hiding among civilians in shelters and tent camps for the displaced.

Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead. The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.

President-elect Donald Trump has described a possible ceasefire as being very close. I understand ... there's been a handshake and they are getting it finished -- and maybe by the end of the week, Trump told the American cable channel Newsmax Monday night.

He added that part of the deal would see bodies brought out of the Gaza Strip, without elaborating. Israel and Hamas are under renewed pressure to halt the conflict in the lead-up to Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration. The phased deal would be based on a framework laid out by President Joe Biden in May and endorsed by the UN Security Council.

A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted central Israel early Tuesday, causing sirens to blare and people to flee into bomb shelters. Several Israeli strikes also hit the Gaza Strip overnight and early on Tuesday.

The Israeli military said it made several attempts to intercept a missile launched from Yemen and the missile was likely intercepted. The Magen David Adom emergency service in Israel said there were no injuries from the missile or falling debris, but some people suffered injuries when running to shelters.

Israeli police said several homes outside Jerusalem were damaged by fallen debris and released a photo of what appeared to be a missile casing on the roof of a house.Israel's military also said an earlier missile was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory.

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014, have launched direct attacks on Israel and some 100 commercial ships as part of their campaign over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis acknowledged the attack early Tuesday.