AT LEAST 20 people, including six children, have been killed in Gaza overnight following two Israeli strikes in a refugee camp in the southern city of Khan Yunis, according to the territory’s civil defence agency.

The first strike hit a tent housing displaced people in Khan Yunis in the south shortly after midnight local time (10pm Tuesday Irish time) and the second struck a camp in the north soon afterwards.

It comes as both Israel and Hamas are under increased pressure to get a ceasefire agreement over the line, with US President Donald Trump calling for an end to the hostilities and “tragedy” happening in Gaza.

Israel’s counteroffensive against Gaza has killed over 57,500 people since October 2023. Most of the dead are civilians, according to the region’s health ministry.

Trump has kept up strong US support for Israel, especially over the recent Iran-Israel war but has also been stepping up the pressure to end what he calls the “hell” in Gaza.

He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in 24 hours to ramp up pressure to get a deal done. Mediators Qatar believes a truce agreement can be achieved.

Despite ceasefire hopes inching closer, Netanyahu remains defiant on releasing hostages taken by Hamas during the 7 October attack on Israel in 2023 and put a complete end to the militant group’s operations.

“We focused on the efforts to release our hostages,” he said, adding that Israel will not be “relenting, even for a moment”.

Israel yesterday unveiled plans to displace millions of people from Gaza under plans to seize control of the region. Netanyahu yesterday rejected proposals for an independent Palestinian state, claiming that Israel would always control the territory’s security.

Includes reporting by AFP and Press Association