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 stated it had, together with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), struck various targets including four commanders and additional terrorists along with a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
Hamas condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, claiming that these ongoing violations demonstrate that the Israeli government continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip. Reportedly, seven of the victims were from one displaced family in Khan Younis, and the strikes resulted in casualties in residential apartments and tents.
Officials at Gaza City's Shifa hospital reported that an air strike hit a residential apartment, killing three children and two women. One grieving relative described the devastating scene, questioning the impact of the conflict on innocent lives.
Footage from across Gaza displayed the aftermath of the strikes, showing bodies being recovered from debris amid widespread destruction of buildings. Amid rising tensions, the Rafah crossing, Gaza's border with Egypt, is anticipated to reopen on Sunday after the recovery of an Israeli hostage earlier this week. Egypt and Qatar have both issued statements condemning the recent strikes, calling for restraint from all parties involved.
The current strikes represent a continuation of ongoing conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 71,000 Palestinians and left many more injured since hostilities escalated after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
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 stated it had, together with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), struck various targets including four commanders and additional terrorists along with a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
Hamas condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, claiming that these ongoing violations demonstrate that the Israeli government continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip. Reportedly, seven of the victims were from one displaced family in Khan Younis, and the strikes resulted in casualties in residential apartments and tents.
Officials at Gaza City's Shifa hospital reported that an air strike hit a residential apartment, killing three children and two women. One grieving relative described the devastating scene, questioning the impact of the conflict on innocent lives.
Footage from across Gaza displayed the aftermath of the strikes, showing bodies being recovered from debris amid widespread destruction of buildings. Amid rising tensions, the Rafah crossing, Gaza's border with Egypt, is anticipated to reopen on Sunday after the recovery of an Israeli hostage earlier this week. Egypt and Qatar have both issued statements condemning the recent strikes, calling for restraint from all parties involved.
The current strikes represent a continuation of ongoing conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 71,000 Palestinians and left many more injured since hostilities escalated after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
