14 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City and more than 30 were injured, Qatari television channel Al Jazeera reported.
According to the media, the Israeli army hit several residential buildings located both in the city and its surroundings. Rescue services are clearing the rubble.
A senior Israeli official said there was "significant progress" in talks with Palestinian radical Hamas over a hostage deal, Israeli news portal Ynet reported.
The official noted that key details of the deal are currently being kept secret to avoid political interference that could derail it. He said the heads of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and the General Security Service "reported to the cabinet that Hamas had demonstrated a desire to reach an agreement that did not exist before."
“The assessment is that an agreement can be reached within a few weeks,“ the official added. He attributed Hamas's change in position to the ongoing Israeli strikes and the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump as US president next month, the media reported.