CAIRO: Displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have flocked to the seashore as Israeli forces continue their operations against Hamas fighters in central and southern regions. Health officials reported that at least 17 people were killed in airstrikes on Tuesday.

Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing in Cairo, but a resolution remains elusive due to disagreements over key issues, including control of two corridors in Gaza once the fighting ceases.

In recent days, Israel has issued several evacuation orders across Gaza, the highest number since the conflict began 10 months ago. This has sparked concern from Palestinians, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations over the shrinking humanitarian zones and the lack of safe areas for civilians.

In the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Deir Al Balah, where the majority of Gaza's population is now concentrated, residents and displaced families are forced to live in tents along the beach.

"Perhaps they should bring ships, so when we're told to leave again, we can just jump on board. People are now stranded on the beach," said Aya, a 30-year-old woman displaced from Gaza City, now living with her family in western Deir Al Balah.

"Every day they say progress is being made in talks, that an agreement is near, but then it all collapses like dust. Do negotiators realize that with each day, more families are being wiped out by the bombings? Does the world understand that every day costs more lives?" she expressed via a chat app.

Palestinian health officials confirmed that Israeli airstrikes killed nine people in the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps, while another strike claimed five lives in Khan Yunis, and three more were killed in Rafah.

The conflict has claimed the lives of over 40,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The densely populated enclave has been devastated, with most of its 2.3 million residents displaced multiple times and facing severe shortages of food and medicine, as reported by humanitarian agencies.

On Monday, United Nations aid operations in Gaza came to a standstill after Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir Al Balah, where the UN operations center was located, according to a senior UN official.

The evacuation order coincided with the UN's preparations for a vaccination campaign targeting approximately 640,000 children in Gaza against polio, following the identification of at least one case of the disease.

As the conflict rages on, negotiators in Cairo continue their efforts to secure a ceasefire and facilitate the release of 109 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Despite optimism from the United States, which is backing the talks alongside Egypt and Qatar, both Hamas and Israel have blamed each other for the lack of progress.

One of the key issues is Israel's insistence on maintaining control over the Philadelphi corridor on the border with Egypt, which it claims has been a primary route for smuggling weapons into Gaza.

Additionally, Israel demands checks on people moving from southern and central Gaza into the northern areas via the Netzarim corridor, citing the need to prevent armed fighters from infiltrating the north.