Local election workers fear threats to their safety as November nears. One group is trying to help

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The group gathered inside the conference room, mostly women, fell silent as the audio recording began to play.

The male voice, clearly agitated, railed against what he thought had been fraud that cost former President Donald Trump reelection four years ago.

“You’re gonna pay for it,” said the man, filling his message with expletives and suggesting his target's throat be slashed with a knife. “We will … take you out. Your family, your life.

"Watch your … back."

The call had been directed at one of their own, a city clerk who had overseen elections in 2020 in suburban Detroit. The former clerk, Tina Barton, played the recording of the call she had received to an audience that included several dozen local election clerks and law enforcement officials who had gathered recently inside an office building conference room in northern Michigan.

“I want you to understand this voicemail is the same type of thing that we’re seeing across the country, and it can find you anywhere you are — small community, large community, Michigan, Arizona. It can find you,” said Barton, who was overseeing elections in Rochester Hills when she received the voicemail a week after the 2020 presidential election.

The recent gathering in Traverse City, a picturesque community on the shores of Lake Michigan in a county that has twice voted for Trump, was part of a national effort to train local election workers on how they can respond to threats and work with law enforcement to counter them.

As the nation barrels toward another highly charged presidential election, the threats to election offices that have been an alarming consequence of Trump’s false claims about his 2020 loss loom as a perilous wildcard for the thousands of local government workers who will oversee the indispensable infrastructure of the nation’s democracy. The constant threats and harassment have contributed to an exodus of election officials across the country.

Barton understands the pressure they are under and has been on a mission to help them stay safe. She left her job in Rochester Hills shortly after the 2020 election and later became part of the newly formed Committee for Safe and Secure Elections. Since joining, she has given nearly 100 presentations throughout the country.

Earlier this month, The Associated Press was granted rare access inside the committee’s training session in Traverse City and allowed to observe the scenarios election workers are likely to face this year and the discussions about how they and law enforcement can prepare for them.

The threats to Barton started after she posted a video that was intended to counter false claims directed at her office by Ronna McDaniel, then-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

“None of these scenarios are sensational. They are all things that have already happened in some way, shape or form across the country,” Barton tells the group. “To say, ‘Oh, that could never happen.’ These things are already happening.”

Barton’s partner in the trainings is Justin Smith, the former sheriff in Larimer County, Colorado, who signed up after retiring last year and hearing directly from local election officials about the onslaught of threats they have faced since 2020.

Smith often speaks directly to the police officers and sheriff’s deputies in the room, explaining the role they play in elections and how the environment has changed since 2020. In past years, election officials were likely to deal with issues on their own, such as protesters or unruly citizens looking to promote their candidates at polling places.

“It’s not that simple anymore,” Smith tells the group. “We need to be at the table and be part of the solution.”

To election officials, he explains how law enforcement has historically sought to keep its distance from anything to do with elections, mindful of First Amendment concerns and not wanting to interfere with anyone’s right to vote.

“When initially I would bring up the topic, there were a lot of law enforcement folks that kind of winced, just because it’s a very controversial area.” Smith said during an interview after the training.

Barton guides the election officials through various scenarios and encourages them to think through their responses, when it makes sense to alert law enforcement and when to consider releasing information to the public.

“I know there’s been some, maybe disgruntlement across the country from some election officials that feel that they haven’t gotten the response from law enforcement that they thought law enforcement should give,” Barton tells the election officials. “So these conversations help us understand what they can actually do in those scenarios and what they can’t do.”

She said election offices might deal with everything from threatening emails and phone calls to an AI-generated robocall sent to poll workers telling them to stay home on Election Day. One of the scenarios Barton presented to the group mirrors events that unfolded in the days immediately after elections last fall, when local election offices in a handful of states received letters in the mail that contained fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid.

The fentanyl example sparked animated conversations among the election workers, as many of them began to understand they were not taking sufficient precautions. As one clerk and her deputy sat next to each other, they realized that also was how they opened mail — together in the clerk’s office.

“If something were to happen to both of them, where does that chain of command go? For some of you, that might be your whole office,” Barton tells the group.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, whose office helped sponsor and coordinate the Traverse City training and who also has endured numerous threats, said it's imperative for law enforcement and election officials to work together to ensure a smooth election in November.

Benson said her office has been providing grants to election offices to help them boost security. The federal government also is engaged in the effort. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will assess the physical security of local election offices and has written guidance for workers on how to de-escalate tense situations.

Spencer Wood, the federal agency’s regional election security adviser, told the attendees they were not facing the threats alone and praised them as the “frontline defenders” of the nation’s elections.

“For more than 200 years, American democracy has withstood a range of physical, cyber and operational risks — and 2024 will be no different,” he said.

Throughout the training, Barton referenced the election officials who have retired or left the profession, citing the stress since the 2020 presidential election. A survey last year by the Brennan Center for Justice found that about 1 in 5 election workers knew someone who left their election job for safety reasons and nearly three-quarters of local election officials said harassment had increased. Barton emphasized to the clerks the importance of having access to mental health services.

One longtime election official who attended the Michigan training, East Bay Township Clerk Susanne Courtade, not only plans to stay for the November election but is running for another term despite being harassed in the aftermath of the 2020 election. She said she faced attacks on her character and demands for her removal.

“I felt attacked, but then I also felt that if I stepped aside, they win,” she said. “I’m sad that we are at this point where we have to understand better how to prepare and protect ourselves and our citizens and our workers, but I’m glad that we are able to come together.”

Even as the clerks prepare for November, many of them expressed concerns over what they could face.

The week before the training session, Trump held a rally two hours south in Grand Rapids. Joining him onstage were a handful of county sheriffs from across Michigan who support him and who heard Trump repeat claims that Democrats “cheat in elections.”

This past week, a small group of sheriffs from across the country gathered in Las Vegas to join forces with prominent election conspiracy theorists. The group, which calls itself the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, argues that sheriffs have unlimited power and must investigate elections.

Traverse City Clerk Benjamin Marentette said training sessions like the one in Traverse City are crucial to make sure local election offices and law enforcement are communicating.

“You can build that trust because everyone – law enforcement and election officials – 99% of them are there for the right reasons and with a true heart for service,” Marentette said.

Michael D. Shea, the sheriff in Grand Traverse County, said he was surprised at how vulnerable election officials can be because of the requirements associated with their job. A Republican who is on the ballot in the fall, Shea said it was understandable to have some concerns about elections, particularly with the use of technology in parts of the voting process, but said he trusted experts and his local election officials.

“The goal is a safe, secure, fair election," said Shea, who attended the training. "And we intend to make that happen.”

Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Nicholas Riccardi in Las Vegas; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping election workers prepare for what could lie ahead. Benson, whose office helped sponsor and coordinate the Traverse City training and who also has endured numerous threats, said it's imperative for law enforcement and election officials to work together to ensure a smooth election in November. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Spencer Wood, a regional election security advisor with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, addresses election workers, staff and law enforcement April 10, 2024, at a Committee of Safe and Secure Elections conference in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Wood told the attendees they were not facing the threats alone and praised them as the “frontline defenders” of the nation’s elections. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping election workers prepare for what could lie ahead. Benson, whose office helped sponsor and coordinate the Traverse City training and who also has endured numerous threats, said it's imperative for law enforcement and election officials to work together to ensure a smooth election in November. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael D. Shea attends a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. A group, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Shea, a Republican who is on the ballot in the fall, said he was surprised at how vulnerable election officials can be because of the requirements associated with their job, but said he trusted experts and his local election officials.. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Spencer Wood, a regional election security advisor with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, addresses election workers, staff and law enforcement April 10, 2024, at a Committee of Safe and Secure Elections conference in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Wood told the attendees they were not facing the threats alone and praised them as the “frontline defenders” of the nation’s elections. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Educational materials provided by the Committee of Safe and Secure Elections are pictured at a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead and making sure they are connected to local law enforcement. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael D. Shea attends a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. A group, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Shea, a Republican who is on the ballot in the fall, said he was surprised at how vulnerable election officials can be because of the requirements associated with their job, but said he trusted experts and his local election officials.. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Grand Traverse county clerk Benjamin Marentette speaks at a conference held by the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Marentette said training sessions like the one in Traverse City are crucial to make sure local election offices and law enforcement are communicating. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Suzanne Courtade, clerk of East Bay Township, attends a Committee of Safe and Secure Elections conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Courtade says she not only plans to stay for the November election but is running for another term despite being harassed in the aftermath of the 2020 election. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Spencer Wood, a regional election security advisor with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, addresses election workers, staff and law enforcement April 10, 2024, at a Committee of Safe and Secure Elections conference in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Wood told the attendees they were not facing the threats alone and praised them as the “frontline defenders” of the nation’s elections. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping election workers prepare for what could lie ahead. Benson, whose office helped sponsor and coordinate the Traverse City training and who also has endured numerous threats, said it's imperative for law enforcement and election officials to work together to ensure a smooth election in November. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Justin Smith, a retired Colorado sherriff from Larimer County, Colo., speaks during a recording for the Committee of Safe and Secure Elections during a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping prepare for what could lie ahead. Smith signed up after retiring last year and hearing from local election officials about the threats they have faced since 2020. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Tina Barton, a former election clerk, speaks at a conference with local election and law enforcement officials held by the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead. Barton, who was overseeing elections in Rochester Hills, Mich., spoke about receiving a threatening voicemail a week after the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

Educational materials provided by the Committee of Safe and Secure Elections are pictured at a conference with local election and law enforcement officials Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. The committee, formed after the 2020 presidential election, is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead and making sure they are connected to local law enforcement. (AP Photo/John L. Russell)

The United Nations humanitarian aid agency says hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel carries out a military assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The border city is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and is filled with displaced Palestinians, many in densely packed tent camps.

An Israeli airstrike in Rafah overnight Friday killed seven people — mostly children. The Biden administration, which provides Israel crucial military and diplomatic support, says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there.

Turkey, an important Israeli trading partner, has suspended all imports and exports to Israel. The country's trade minister says the move was in response to “the deterioration and aggravation of the situation in Rafah."

International mediators are trying to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, and a leaked truce proposal hints at compromises by both sides after months of stalemated negotiations.

The Israel-Hamas war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials, and the territory’s entire population has been driven into a humanitarian catastrophe.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Currently:

— Hamas is sending a delegation to Egypt for further cease-fire talks in the latest sign of progress. What’s on the table for Israel and Hamas in the latest cease-fire talks?

— Colombia breaks diplomatic ties with Israel, but its military relies on key Israeli-built equipment.

— Turkey halts all trade with Israel over military actions in Gaza.

— Nearly 2,200 people have been arrested during pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses.

— The unprecedented destruction of housing in Gaza hasn’t been seen since World War II, the United Nations says.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military and a support group for the families of Israeli hostages confirmed Friday that Elyakim Libman, a 23-year-old Israeli who had been believed abducted by Hamas, was killed during the militants’ Oct. 7 attack. His body was found in Israel.

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said Libman was working as a security guard at a music festival that was attacked by the militants after they stormed out of Gaza. It said he helped evacuate the wounded during the mayhem before being killed.

The military said it, the police and forensic officials had identified the body after it was found in Israeli territory.

At least 260 people were killed at the Nova music festival, taking place in an open space near Gaza when Hamas militants rampaged through communities in southern Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack, and militants took around 250 hostage. Because of the chaos of the day, a few believed taken captive were later determined to be among the dead.

Israel says Hamas is holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others in Gaza, after many were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians.

CAIRO — Two Egyptian security officials say CIA director William Burns has arrived in Egypt amid a push to seal a cease-fire accord between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza war.

Burns’ visit comes as Hamas is considering the latest proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release put forward by U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators, who hope to avert an Israeli offensive against Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town.

Hamas has said it will send a delegation to Cairo in the coming days for further discussions on the offer, though it has not specified when.

The two Egyptian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press, did not give details on Burns’ visit. U.S. officials would not comment on the report.

The latest proposal reportedly calls for a three-stage cease-fire, starting with a six-week halt in fighting during which Hamas would release a number of hostages it holds, including women and elderly, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Talks would then take place on a permanent calm, during which Israel would withdraw troops from Gaza and Hamas would release all the remaining hostages.

An Egyptian official has said Hamas is seeking firmer language in the text to ensure a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to its offensive and bombardment – as well as the return of Palestinians displaced from the north of the territory.

On Thursday, Hamas supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh said he had spoken to Egypt’s intelligence chief and “stressed the positive spirit of the movement in studying the cease-fire proposal.”

Hamas is believed to still hold around 100 Israelis in Gaza, as well as the bodies of around 30 others who died in captivity. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

BEIRUT — The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club said two Palestinian detainees from Gaza have died in Israeli custody, including a prominent surgeon seized by troops during a raid on a hospital.

The cause of their deaths was not immediately known. Israeli and Palestinian rights groups have reported harsh conditions in Israeli prisons for the hundreds of Palestinians detained from Gaza, including beatings and medical neglect.

The Israeli prison authority and army officials had no comment.

The surgeon, Dr. Adnan al-Borsh, 50, was head of the orthopedic department in Gaza City’s Shifa hospital. After an Israeli siege in November crippled Shifa, he worked in nearby al-Awda Hospital, which Israeli troops later stormed, detaining him and others inside in December.

Abdullah al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club, said they were informed by the Palestinian Administrative Affairs office, which coordinates with the Israeli military, that al-Borsh died in Ofer Prison in the West Bank on April 19. He said the body was still being held by Israeli authorities.

The body of the second prisoner, 33-year-old Ismail Abdul-Bari Rajab Khodr, was handed over with dozens of released prisoners who were returned to Gaza this week, the Club said. The circumstances of his detention were not immediately known.

Three Palestinian human rights groups — Addameer, Al Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights — said in a joint statement that Khodr’s body was examined at Rafah’s Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital. They quoted the hospital’s director, Dr. Marwan Al-Hems, saying he died of torture and that marks of torture were found on his wrists as well as swelling in his shoulders, knees and chest. The three groups said others among the prisoners released this week showed signs of abuse.

The Club said both Khodr and al-Borsh had been tortured, without providing evidence. It said their deaths brought to 18 the number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli prisons since the launch of Israel’s offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

More than 490 medical workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel has raided multiple hospitals during its campaign in Gaza, claiming Hamas activity inside, often arresting large numbers of staff and displaced people sheltering in the facilities.

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country imposed a trade ban on Israel because it could no longer “stand by and watch” the violence in Gaza.

Turkey on Thursday announced that it had suspended all imports and exports to Israel over its military actions in Gaza. It said Friday that the ban would stay in place until a permanent cease-fire is achieved and the Israeli government allows all humanitarian aid to reach Gaza without hindrance.

“Up to now, Israel has killed 40,000 to 45,000 Palestinians without mercy. As Muslims, we could not stand by and watch,” Erdogan told reporters following traditional Friday prayers in Istanbul.

Erdogan said: “We had a trade volume that had reached 9.5 billion dollars between us. But we closed the door (to trade) as though this trade volume did not exist.”

The Turkish leader had faced intense pressure to stop trade ties with Israel and lost some votes in local elections in March to a small Islamist party that had been critical of Turkey’s continued commercial relations with Israel.

Erdogan again held the United States and other Western nations responsible for deaths in the Israel-Hamas war.

“The whole West and especially America, are working for Israel by mobilizing all resources and unfortunately the poor people of Palestine were sentenced to death through Israel’s bombings,” he said.

BEIRUT — The Gaza Health Ministry said Friday the bodies of 26 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 51 wounded, it said in its daily report.

That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 34,622 the ministry said, and 77,867 wounded.

The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its tallies, but says that women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

The Israeli military says it has killed 13,000 militants, without providing evidence to back up the claim.

GENEVA — The United Nations humanitarian aid agency says hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel carries out a military assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said Rafah has become a crucial humanitarian hub for distribution of aid into Gaza.

Rafah is pivotal for food, water, health, sanitation, hygiene and other critical support to the people there, including hundreds of thousands of Gazans who fled fighting elsewhere. But most importantly, Laerke told reporters at a regular U.N. briefing in Geneva, the hundreds of thousands of people there “would be at imminent risk of death if there is an assault.”

World Health Organization officials said they have been preparing contingency plans for a possible assault in Rafah. They noted, meanwhile, that more food has been reaching beleaguered Palestinians in recent weeks, but the threat of famine remains.

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for occupied Palestinian areas, said by videoconference that the threat of famine had “absolutely not” declined. Dr. Ahmed Dahir, the head of WHO’s office in Gaza, said the food situation was fragile, and “the risk of famine has not passed.”

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court’s prosecution office issued a statement Friday insisting that “all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence its officials cease immediately.”

The statement did not mention any of its active investigations or elaborate on the nature of attempts to influence its work. The office declined to elaborate further on the statement.

However, it came amid speculation that the court could soon issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials. There has been fierce pushback against the global court, including by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Tuesday that it would be “an outrage of historic proportions” if the court issues arrest warrants against Israeli officials.

The ICC is investigating alleged crimes in the Palestinian territories dating back to the previous war in Gaza in 2014. It has not commented on the status of the probe or whether warrants for any suspects are imminent.

In the statement posted Friday on the social media platform X, the office of the prosecutor said its independence and impartiality are undermined “when individuals threaten to retaliate against the Court or against Court personnel should the Office, in fulfilment of its mandate, make decisions about investigations or cases falling within its jurisdiction.”

Netanyahu has said that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.”

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s trade minister says a trade ban imposed on Israel will remain in place until a permanent cease-fire is achieved and the Israeli government allows all humanitarian aid to enter Gaza without hindrance.

Turkey, a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, announced Thursday that it had suspended all imports and exports to Israel over its ongoing offensive. The move came weeks after the country had announced trade restrictions on a number of items, including aluminum, steel, construction products and chemical fertilizers.

Trade Minister Omer Bolat said Friday that the new measure was in response to “the deterioration and aggravation of the situation in Rafah” — a reference to Gaza’s southernmost town.

“The trade (block) related to Israel will be implemented until a permanent cease-fire is achieved and aid to Gaza is freed in an uninterrupted manner,” he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party suffered a major setback in local elections in March, was under intense pressure to stop halt trade relations with Israel.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed seven people, including children, hospital officials said Friday.

The overnight strike on the Chahine family home killed two adults and five kids whose ages ranged between 7 and 16, according to a list of the names released by Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital.

The strike came a day after the militant Palestinian group Hamas said it was sending a delegation to Egypt for further cease-fire talks — a new sign of progress in attempts by international mediators to hammer out an agreement between Israel and the militant group to end the war in Gaza.

Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes on Rafah since the start of the war seven months ago and has threatened to send in ground troops, saying Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold in the coastal enclave. Over 1 million Palestinians have sought refuge in the city on the Egyptian border. The United States and others have urged Israel not to invade, fearing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to launch an incursion into Rafah.

TEL AVIV — A support group for the families of Israeli hostages taken into Gaza confirmed Friday the death of Dror Or, 49, the 38th hostage known to have died. Or was killed in the Oct. 7 attack and his body taken into Gaza, the Hostages Families Forum said.

Or and two of his children were abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas attacked on Oct. 7 and his wife, Yonat, was killed. His children, 17-year-old Noam and 13-year-old Alma, were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

Israel says Hamas is holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others. Or's body has not been returned, the Forum said, demanding that the Israeli government “exhaust every effort” to bring back his remains as well as all the hostages still in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas appear to be seriously negotiating an end to the war in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages. A leaked truce proposal hints at compromises by both sides after months of talks languishing in a stalemate. Hamas said Thursday that it was sending a delegation to Egypt for further cease-fire talks, in a new sign of progress.

Some families worry that Israel’s war aims of eliminating Hamas and launching an incursion into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah will derail negotiations. Dozens of people demonstrated Thursday night outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding a deal to release the hostages.

During a meeting with Holocaust survivors in Jerusalem Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “We are making great efforts. We have already brought back half (the hostages), when people did not believe that we would get anyone back."

He made no specific reference to Or, but said, "I can tell you that we are determined to return everyone — the ones who are alive as well as the ones who are dead. We brought back 124 (people) as of today, but there are more. We do not forget anyone.”

HONOLULU — United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while at a news conference Thursday in Hawaii, was asked by a reporter what consequences Israel would face from the U.S. if Israel conducted an offensive operation in Rafah without “appropriately taking into account” civilians in the area.

Austin said it would be up to President Joe Biden and he wouldn’t speculate on that, but that currently, "conditions are not favorable to any kind of operation."

“What we’ve highlighted for the Israelis is that it’s really important to make sure that the civilians that are in that battle space move out of that battle space before any activity is conducted. And that if and when they return to any kind of operation that it be conducted in a more much more precise fashion,” Austin said.

He noted there were about 275,000 people living in and around Rafah before the conflict started but there are now about 1.4 million.

“That’s a lot of people in a very small space. There’s a good chance that without taking the right measures that we’ll see a lot more civilian casualties going forward. So before anything happens, we certainly want to see them address that threat to the civilians,” Austin said.

“Right now, the conditions are not favorable to any kind of operation. And we’ve been clear about that. It is necessary to take care of the civilian population that’s in that area before anything else happens,” he said.

Palestinians stand in the ruins of the Chahine family home, after an overnight Israeli strike that killed at least two adults and five boys and girls under the age of 16 in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024. An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed several people, including children, hospital officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

The Chahine family prepares to bury two adults and five boys and girls under the age of 16 after an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024. An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed several people, including children, hospital officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

Ethiopian Orthodox Christian worshippers walk the Way of the Cross procession that commemorates Jesus Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A man stands in the ruins of the Chahine family home, after an overnight Israeli strike that killed at least two adults and five boys and girls under the age of 16 in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024. An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed several people, including children, hospital officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

The Chahine family prepares to bury two adults and five boys and girls under the age of 16 after an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024. An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed several people, including children, hospital officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

A student encampment is shown at Middlebury College as they protest the Israel-Hamas war in Middlebury, Vt., on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Tents are set up at an encampment on the grounds of Newcastle University in protest against the war in Gaza, in Newcastle, England, Thursday, May 2, 2024.. Students in the Britain, including in Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol, have set up tents outside university buildings, replicating the nationwide campus demonstrations in the US, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Students set up tents on the grounds of the University of Oslo, in protest against the war in Gaza, in Oslo, Thursday, May 2, 2024, replicating the nationwide campus demonstrations in the US. Sign on building in the background reads "Free Palestine". (Terje Pedersen/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Palestinians wounded girls in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are brought by ambulance to the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, early Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is brought to the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, early Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

A Portland State University student in Montgomery Residence Hall asks a Portland police officer when this will all be over, as pro-Palestinian protesters occupied PSU's Millar Library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Portland, Ore. "I wish I could tell you," the officer said. Portland police moved early Thursday to start clearing out people who remained inside. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)

Palestinians react next to the bodies of their relatives who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza Stirp, at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian medics treat a wounded person as the other one carries a young wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, early Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

Activists block a highway as they demand the release of the hostages from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)