On Saturday, Israel carried out its most severe airstrikes in Gaza in recent weeks, resulting in the deaths of at least 32 individuals, as reported by Palestinian health officials.
Continuation of Violence Amid Ceasefire
Despite the implementation of a US-brokered ceasefire, now in its second phase, violent clashes have persisted within the Palestinian territory. Both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have accused each other of violating the already fragile truce agreement.
Targets of the Strikes
Local officials confirmed that the airstrikes on Saturday affected several locations across Gaza. Among the targeted sites were a police station operated by Hamas, residential apartments in Gaza City, and a tent camp located in Khan Younis.
Humanitarian Impact and Rising Death Toll
The civil defence agency, a rescue organisation under Hamas authority, reported: “The death toll since dawn today has risen to 32, most of them children and women.” This figure marks an increase from the previously reported toll of 28.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for the agency, stated: “Residential apartments, tents, shelters and a police station were targeted, resulting in this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave have indicated that at least 509 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect. Meanwhile, Israel’s military has reported the deaths of four soldiers in suspected militant attacks.
Although fatalities have been reported on a daily basis in Gaza since the ceasefire began on 10 October, the number of deaths recorded on Saturday was significantly higher than the usual daily average.
Israeli Military Response and Justification
The Israeli military stated that the strikes were conducted in response to what it described as a breach of the ceasefire on Friday. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported detecting eight Palestinians emerging from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, with at least three of them killed during the operation.
According to the IDF, their forces “struck four commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organisations across the Gaza Strip.”
