In brief
At least 32 Palestinians have died in a series of Israeli air strikes in Gaza, with reports indicating that the casualties include women and children. Local civil defense officials claim these attacks are among the most severe since a ceasefire was brokered by the US last October. The Israeli military stated the strikes were in retaliation for alleged violations by Hamas. The situation in Gaza remains precarious as tensions between the two sides escalate amid ongoing accusations of ceasefire violations.
At least 32 people have been killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local authorities.
The civil defence agency, which is operated by Hamas, says children and women were among those killed. It added that in one attack, helicopter gunships hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Palestinians have described these strikes as the heaviest since the second phase of the ceasefire, brokered by US President Trump last October, came into effect earlier this month.
The Israeli military confirmed that a number of strikes were carried out in response to what it said was a Hamas violation of the agreement on Friday.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce since it came into effect last year. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said eight terrorists were identified exiting the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah, an area in Gaza where Israeli forces are deployed under the October agreement.
The IDF said it had, together with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), struck targets in various locations including four commanders and additional terrorists as well as a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
Hamas has condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, adding that these ongoing violations confirm that the Israeli government continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip. It said that seven of the victims were from one displaced family in Khan Younis, with a civil defence spokesman adding that the strikes hit residential apartments, tents, shelters and a police station.
Officials at Gaza City's Shifa hospital said an air strike on the city hit a residential apartment, killing three children and two women. We found my three little nieces in the street. They say 'ceasefire' and all. What did those children do? What did we do? said Samer al-Atbash, an uncle of the three dead children.
Video footage and images from across Gaza showed several bodies being lifted out of rubble and a number of buildings destroyed. The strikes come as the Rafah crossing, Gaza's border with Egypt, is due to reopen on Sunday after the IDF recovered the body of Israel's last hostage earlier this week.
Egypt's foreign ministry condemned the strikes and urged all parties to exercise the utmost restraint. Meanwhile, Qatar denounced the repeated Israeli violations. In January, US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of phase two of the ceasefire deal, aiming for a technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza and full demilitarization.
Since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, over 71,660 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza, highlighting the urgent need for a peaceful resolution.
