Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 61 Palestinians on Monday and a further 13 in the early hours of Tuesday, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and local medical staff. The latest bombardment hit Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis, adding to a civilian toll that has climbed relentlessly during the 21-month war. Monday’s deadliest incidents included 26 fatalities in and around Gaza City and four people sheltering in a tent in al-Mawasi, an area the Israeli army had previously designated a “humanitarian zone,” Al Jazeera and hospital officials said. The al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah warned it had only hours of fuel left for generators, risking the closure of one of the few remaining surgical facilities in central Gaza. The overnight strikes on Tuesday killed six people, including a child, in Gaza City, one person in Deir al-Balah and six in Khan Yunis, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Rescue workers said bodies were still being pulled from collapsed buildings amid acute shortages of heavy equipment and medical supplies. Despite the escalation, diplomatic efforts are intensifying. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he expects a ceasefire agreement “within the next week,” and Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is due in Washington for talks on Gaza, Iran and other regional issues. Qatar said its envoys are working with both Israel and Hamas to revive negotiations that collapsed in March. The Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, has now claimed more than 56,000 Palestinian lives, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Aid agencies warn that Israel’s two-month blockade on food and fuel earlier this year and continued restrictions on relief convoys have pushed the territory to the brink of famine, with UN officials calling for an immediate, comprehensive ceasefire.