Strikes in Gaza kill 30 as Israel bombards Lebanon’s Baalbek

Israel pummeled the Gaza Strip with new bombardments that killed at least 30 people on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said, a day after one of the deadliest single strikes of the year-old war killed scores in the north of the enclave.

The assault in the north, in addition to new rules introduced by Israel and a halt to most private food deliveries, has also choked aid and food supplies to their lowest level since the beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, US mediators are working on a proposal to halt hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, starting with a 60-day ceasefire, two sources said on Wednesday, but Israel pressed its offensive, bombarding Lebanon’s historic city of Baalbek, famed for its Roman temples, and nearby villages, after issuing a mass evacuation order.

Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem said the Iran-backed group would agree to a ceasefire within certain parameters if Israel wanted to stop the war, but said Israel had so far not agreed to any proposal that could be discussed.