Israeli airstrikes and gunfire have killed five Palestinians in Gaza, health officials said, the latest violence to undermine a four-month-old, US-brokered truce in the enclave.
In Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, an airstrike killed two people who were riding an electric bike, medics said. Later, Israeli drone fire killed a woman in Deir Al-Balah and troops shot dead a man in Khan Younis in the south, they said.
Another man was killed by Israeli gunfire in Jabalia in north Gaza, Palestinian medics said.
The violence came a day after Israeli forces killed four militants in the southern city of Rafah after they emerged from an underground tunnel and opened fire on troops.
Without commenting directly on the four people killed, the Israeli military said it had carried out attacks targeting what it described as Hamas militants in response to yesterday's incident in Rafah.
In Gaza City, dozens of Palestinians rallied at the funerals of three people who were killed by an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the area last night.
One body was wrapped in a Hamas green flag, while another had a green Hamas ribbon on his forehead, signaling that the two were members of the militant group.
Reuters was not able to ascertain the identities of those killed.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly traded blame for violations of the ceasefire deal, a key element of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, the deadliest and most destructive in the generations-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The next phase of Mr Trump's plan involves Hamas disarming, Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza, and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. Hamas has long rejected calls to lay down its arms and Israeli officials say they are preparing for a return to full-scale war.
Netanyahu to meet Trump with Iran missiles high on agenda
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the top priority in his talks with US President Donald Trump would be the ongoing negotiations with Iran, as he presses for a tougher US approach to Tehran's ballistic missile programme.
So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the US beyond the issue of its nuclear programme, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile programme and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
The two leaders are to meet in Washington tomorrow, their sixth such encounter in the United States since Mr Trump returned to office a year ago.
They also met in Jerusalem in October when Mr Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.
The meeting comes days after arch-foes Iran and the United States held talks in Oman, after which Mr Trump said another round of negotiations would follow.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump will also meet amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from its Palestinian owners.
However, it remains unclear whether the issue will be raised in their talks, despite Mr Trump's past opposition to any annexation of the West Bank.
"On this trip we will discuss a range of issues: Gaza, the region, but of course first and foremost the negotiations with Iran," Mr Netanyahu said, in a video statement before his departure.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations."
In an earlier statement issued over the weekend, Mr Netanyahu's office said he will highlight Israel's concerns over Iran's missile arsenal and not just the nuclear programme.
Netanyahu visit 'destructive'
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson has warned that Mr Netanyahu's visit would have a "destructive" influence on diplomacy that is "detrimental to the region".
Israel's concerns came to a head during an unprecedented war between the two longtime adversaries in June last year.
Since then, Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that Iran's missile capabilities pose a threat distinct from, and in some ways more immediate than, its nuclear programme.
Israeli officials argue that Iran could strike Israel with little warning and also overwhelm the country's air-defence systems in a sustained conflict.
During the June war, Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
Those that landed in densely populated areas "caused severe damage," said Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies.
"I don't think it's like existential threat, but definitely it's a major threat on the Israeli home front."
Concerns over Trump's approach
Analysts say Mr Netanyahu is very wary of any deal with the Iranians.
"He's concerned that President Trump is not quite as enthusiastic about a military attack on the Iranians as Netanyahu wishes were the case," said Guy Ziv, an associate professor at the foreign policy and global security department at American University in Washington.
"He wants to first convince President Trump that Iran's ballistic missiles, which he sees as a major threat to Israel, must be included in any agreement over Iran's nuclear programme," Mr Ziv told AFP.
"He wants to make sure that... Trump sees that as a red line as well."
The 12-day war in June was triggered by unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as residential areas.
The United States later joined the offensive, striking three Iranian nuclear sites, before a ceasefire brokered by Mr Trump came into force.
In Israel, the war killed 30 people and caused extensive damage to property, including a hospital and several public institutions.
In October 2024 Iran fired a barrage of some 200 missiles at Israel in response to the assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah.
In April 2024, against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Iran - a key backer of the Palestinian Islamist group - launched its first ever drone and missile attack on Israel.
That strike was in retaliation for a deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus days earlier, which Tehran blamed on Israel.
