GAZA STRIP: Gaza`s civil defence agency said Israeli forces pounded the Palestinian territory on Thursday, killing at least 12 people including three girls, 15 months into the conflict.

The latest strikes came as Qatar, Egypt, and the United States mediate negotiations in Doha between Israel and Hamas for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza and secure the release ofprisoners.

Three girls and their father were killed when an air strike hit their house in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, the civil defence agency reported.

Local paramedic Mahmud Awad said he helped transfer the bodies of two girls and their father, Mahmud Abu Kharuf to a hospital. `Their bodies were found under the rubble of the house that the occupation bombed in the Nuseirat camp,` Awad said. He added that the body of the third girl had been found earlier by residents.

In a separate strike, eight people were killed when their house was struck in the town of Jabalia in northern Gaza, where the army has focused its offensive since Oct 6.

Several more were wounded in that strike, the civil defence agency said. Israeli air strikes and shelling continues across Gaza, even as mediators push on with their efforts to halt the fighting and secure a deal for the release of prisoners still held in Gaza.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of StateAntony Blinken said in Paris that a ceasefire was `very close`. `I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have,` Blinken said, referring to Presidentelect Donald Trump`s inauguration on January 20.

But if not, `I believe that when we get that deal and we`ll get it it`ll be on the basis of the plan that President (Joe) Biden put before the world back in May.

In May, Biden unveiled a three-phase plan for the release of the priosner and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Gaza peace talks US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources close to the talks said on Thursday.

Qatar, the US and Egypt are making a major push to reach a deal to halt fighting in the 15-month conflict and free remaining prisoners. President-elect Donald Trump has warned there will be `hell to pay` if the prisoners are not released by his inauguration on Jan 20.

On Thursday, a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said the absence of a deal so far did not mean the talks were going nowhere and this was the most serious attempt so far. `There are extensive negotiations, mediators and negotiators are talking about every word and every detail. There is a breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps but there is no deal yet,` he said, without giving further details.

Another Palestinian official confirmed progress had been made during the talks but cited a new Israeli condition that couldundermine reaching a deal.

`However, Israel still insists on keeping a 1 km landscape along the eastern and northern borders of the Gaza Strip, which will restrict the return of residents to their homes and represent a retreat from what it (Israel) had agreed upon in July,` the official said. `This undermines reaching an agreement and the mediators are exerting effort to convince Israel to return to what had been agreed in the past,` the official said.

On Tuesday, Israel said it was fully committedtoreachingan accordtoreturnprisoners but faces obstruction from Hamas. The two sides have been at an impasse for a year over two key issues. Hamas has said it will only free it s remaining prisoners if Israel agrees to end the conflict and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the conflict until Hamas is dismantled and all prisoners are free.

Severe humanitarian crisis In an address delivered by an aide, Pope Francis stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel`s military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation `very serious and shameful.` `We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country`s energy network has been hit.` There was no comment from Israel on the pontiff`s comments.

More than 46,000 people have been killed in the Gaza conflict, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste and most of the territory`s 2.1 million people have been displaced multiple times and face acute shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian agencies say.-Agencies