GAZA STRIP, April 29 -- Israeli airstrikes on residential houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah resulted in the deaths of 22 individuals, including six women and five children, and numerous injuries, according to the Associated Press reports on Monday. One of the children killed in the strikes overnight into Monday was just five days old.

Health officials confirmed that Israeli planes targeted two houses in Gaza City, located in the northern part of the strip, resulting in additional casualties.

The strikes in Rafah, where over a million people have sought shelter amidst months of ongoing Israeli bombardment, occurred just hours before scheduled ceasefire discussions between leaders of the Islamist group Hamas and Egyptian officials...