Hamas says a new Gaza talk began hours after Israel launched a massive attack

Israel and Hamas are engaged in new consultations to end the war in Gaza after Israeli forces launch a major new attack.

At least 300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Thursday, including at least 50 people bombing, territorial rescuers said.

Hamas head adviser Taher Al-Nounou said the BBC was being mediated by Qatar and US mediators in Doha on Saturday.

He said there were no prerequisites from either side and all the issues were on the table for discussion. Israeli Defense Minister said they agreed to a ceasefire and began consultations without lifting the blockade.

A Palestinian official familiar with negotiations told the BBC it was centered around some of the remaining hostages who have been released from Gaza in exchange for a mild period.

The proposal has been proposed in recent weeks by Steve Witkoff, a US special envoy in the Middle East, but both sides have previously shown obstacles to the plan.

A new round of consultations comes a week after the bombing and airstrikes intensified. On Saturday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared the launch of a new attack called “Operation Gideon's Tank.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised a major military escalation that would occupy and control the Gaza belt, push the Palestinian population south of the territory and “destroy” Hamas.

The IDF said on Saturday that “Hamas is no longer a threat and will not be stopped until all hostages are home.” It said in 24 hours it “attacked over 150 terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip.”

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that “Gideon's Tank” (a reference to the Biblical warriors) would see the IDF prevent Hamas from blocking control of the supply of aid.

Thousands of Israeli forces, including soldiers and reservoirs, were able to enter Gaza as operations increase in the coming days. Israeli tanks were also seen at the border, Reuters reported.

The strengthened attacks have been criticized by the UN and some European leaders.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued an alarm saying, “I reject repeated displacements of the population.

UN Human Rights Director Volkar Turk previously said that Israel's strike, the continued lockdown of aid to Gaza and the forced relocation of people “is comparable to ethnic cleansing.”

After the new strike, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani both sought a permanent ceasefire, with German Foreign Ministry saying the new offensive ministry “improving the devastating humanitarian situation of Gaza's population and the rest of the hostages.”

The strengthened military attacks will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and prompt a warning from aid agencies about population hunger.

Israel has blocked food and other supplies to the strip for more than a decade following the collapse of the two-month ceasefire in March. President Donald Trump said Friday in Gaza that “many people are starving.”

The Israeli government has repeatedly rejected claims that there is a food shortage in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 5 that Israel is preparing to “a fierce invasion of Gaza” to capture and retain its territory, but will not begin until US President Donald Trump completes his tour of the Middle East. Trump left the area on Friday.

On Friday, residents of many areas in northern and central Gaza were told to leave their homes and shelter locations. Order-aid workers say it's almost impossible as many have been repeatedly homeless during the war.

Saturday's strike struck a town north of Gaza, including Beitrahiya and Jabaria refugee camps, in a city in southern Khan Yonis, Hamasran Health Ministry and the Civic Defence Force said.

This week's Strike was also a hit near the strip hospital.

Victoria Rose, a UK reconstruction surgeon who works at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital, told BBC Radio 4's today's program that her team was “exhausted” and that staff lost “a considerable weight.”

“The kids are really thin,” she said. “There are a lot of young people with falling teeth.

“Many of them have been subjected to very serious burns, and this level of malnutrition makes them more susceptible to infection and have far less ability to heal.”

Israel launched a military campaign on October 7, 2023 to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attacks. Around 1,200 people were killed there and 251 were taken hostages. Hamas still holds 58 hostages.

At least 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then. This is according to the territory's Hamasran Health Ministry, which includes more than 3,000 since March.