REUTERS, Cairo

Israel yesterday announced a new military campaign against Hamas in central Gaza where Palestinian medics said dozens of people had been killed in airstrikes, complicating expected talks between mediators to try to finalise a ceasefire deal.

At least 44 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military strikes in central Gaza Strip areas since Tuesday, health officials in the enclave said. “The sounds of bombardment didn’t stop all night,” said Aya, 30, a displaced woman in Deir Al-Balah.

The Israeli military said jets were hitting Hamas targets in central Gaza while ground forces were operating “in a focused manner with guidance from intelligence” in the area of Al-Bureij - one of Gaza’s long established refugee settlements.

Residents said Israeli forces had sent tanks into Bureij and planes and tanks pounded the nearby settlements of Al-Maghazi and Al-Nuseirat as well as Deir Al-Balah city, where tanks have not invaded.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday that at least 36,586 people have been killed in the territory during more than seven months of offensive. The toll includes at least 36 deaths over the zpast 24 hours, a ministry statement said.

Meanwhile, Slovenia became the latest European Union country to recognise an independent Palestinian state after its parliament approved the

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