CAIRO. Israeli air and ground forces continued heavy bombardments on eastern Gaza City overnight, killing at least 11 people, witnesses and medics said on Tuesday. The strikes came as senior Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in Cairo for discussions aimed at reviving a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan.

The latest round of indirect negotiations in Qatar ended in a stalemate in late July, with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the lack of progress on a proposed 60-day truce and hostage release agreement. Israel has since vowed to launch a new offensive to retake Gaza City, which it briefly controlled after the war began in October 2023 before withdrawing.

Hamas’ talks with Egyptian officials, set to begin Wednesday, will focus on halting the war, securing aid deliveries, and alleviating the suffering of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nono.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand military control over Gaza, expected in October, has drawn growing international criticism over the humanitarian toll, as well as concerns from within Israel’s military leadership about risks to remaining hostages and soldiers.

Foreign ministers from 24 countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia, France, and Japan, described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as having reached “unimaginable levels” and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the enclave. Israel denies responsibility for the food shortages, accusing Hamas of seizing supplies, and says it has paused fighting in certain areas and established protected routes for aid convoys.

A Palestinian official familiar with the mediation process said Hamas is prepared to return to negotiations and reaffirm its readiness to end the conflict through dialogue. Another Hamas representative told Reuters the group is willing to hand over Gaza governance to a non-partisan committee but would not disarm until a Palestinian state is established.

Netanyahu, backed by far-right coalition partners calling for a full takeover of Gaza, has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eradicated.

Gaza’s health ministry reported 89 Palestinian deaths from Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours. Overnight strikes killed seven people in two houses in the Zeitoun neighborhood and another four in a central Gaza City apartment building, according to witnesses and medics.

In southern Gaza, five people, including a couple and their child, died in an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis, while another four were killed when a tent encampment in coastal Mawasi was hit. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the reports and reiterated that its forces take precautions to limit civilian harm, adding that dozens of militants have been killed and several tunnels destroyed in northern Gaza over the past month.