 "Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza, at least 24 killed as fragile ceasefire is tested")
Israel launched airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday, testing the fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October 10. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 24 people killed and 54 wounded, including children.
The strikes coincided with growing international efforts to stabilise Gaza. On Monday, the UN Security Council approved a US-backed blueprint to secure and govern the territory, including authorising an international force, a transitional authority overseen by President Donald Trump, and a possible path toward an independent Palestinian state.
Israel has previously carried out similar strikes following reported attacks on its forces. Earlier this week, at least 33 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed over a 12-hour period, according to health officials.
One of Saturday’s strikes hit a vehicle in Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood, killing 11 and wounding over 20, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital. Director Mohamed Abu Selmiya added that most of the wounded were children. Video footage showed children inspecting the blackened vehicle, its top blown off.
Other strikes included a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza, killing at least three and wounding 11, and a house in Nuseirat camp, killing seven—including a child—and wounding 16. In Deir al-Balah, a strike killed three, including a woman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.
“Suddenly, I heard a powerful explosion. I looked outside and saw smoke covering the entire area. I couldn’t see a thing. I covered my ears and started shouting to the others in the tent to run,” said Khalil Abu Hatab in Deir al-Balah. “When I looked again, I realised the upper floor of my neighbour’s house was gone. It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place.”
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View AllIsrael’s military said the strikes targeted Hamas after an “armed terrorist” crossed into an Israeli-held area and fired at troops in southern Gaza. No soldiers were injured. The military said the person used a road designated for humanitarian aid, calling it an “extreme violation” of the ceasefire.
In separate incidents, the military reported killing five “terrorists” in Rafah and two others in the north after they crossed into Israeli-held areas.
The conflict began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages. Most hostages or their remains have since been returned under ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that 69,733 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel’s retaliatory operations. Casualties continue to rise during the ceasefire due to new strikes and the recovery of earlier victims. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but notes that women and children constitute the majority of those killed. Its detailed records are generally considered reliable by independent experts.
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