At least two dozen Palestinians, including children, were killed and at least 54 were wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes launched Saturday, setting up yet another test in the fragile Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the Palestinian death toll since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10 has reached 318 people.
Over the course of 24 hours, an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in Gaza City, killing 11 Palestinians and wounding more than 20 others, Shifa Hospital’s managing director confirmed. Another three people were killed and 11 others were wounded when aerial munitions hit a home in central Gaza, while a strike on another home killed at least seven other people and wounded 16 more. At least 22 people were killed in the span of two hours.
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Israel justifies airstrikes
The Israeli military said it launched the strikes after several incidents involving Hamas militants shooting at Israeli troops in regions occupied by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). No IDF troops were injured in the incidents.
One incident reportedly saw an armed individual shoot at troops along a corridor used to transport humanitarian aid. The IDF described the situation as an “extreme violation” of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the IDF also confirmed that it killed five “terrorists” and two other people in northern Gaza. The military said in two separate statements that the individuals were approaching the soldiers.
In a post to X on Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described five of the people who were killed as “senior Hamas terrorists,” and accused the group of “sending a terrorist into Israel held territory to attack IDF soldiers.”
Hamas accuses IDF of breaching ‘yellow line’
Hamas, meanwhile, accused Israel of wantonly moving its withdrawal position, or “yellow line,” thus breaching the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Israel currently controls roughly 58% of the Gaza Strip.
“We asked the mediators to intervene immediately to prevent the collapse of the agreement as the occupation intends,” a Hamas official speaking on condition of anonymity told Al Jazeera. “The systematic Zionist violations of the agreement have resulted in the martyrdom of hundreds due to ongoing raids and killings under fabricated pretexts. These violations have also led to changes in the occupation army’s withdrawal lines, contravening the agreed-upon maps.”
Hamas has also pushed back on reports that it informed the U.S. that it is walking away from the ceasefire agreement. The Times of Israel reports that Hamas spokesman Izzat al-Rishq said there is no truth to rumors of his organization’s intentions to scuttle the agreement.
What happens next?
Saturday’s airstrikes come days after the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution paving the way for the second phase of the ceasefire.
The new resolution allows for the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), tasked with overseeing the borders between Gaza and Israel, providing security for the region and demilitarizing the territory.
It also includes the creation of a transitional body dubbed the “Board of Peace,” chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, which will oversee the enclave’s governance alongside the ISF until Dec. 31, 2027.
Still, some aspects of the resolution will prove to be significantly more difficult to implement. That includes the complete disarming of Hamas, as well as language alluding to the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Israel launched its war in Gaza following Hamas’ surprise attacks on the country on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking another 251 hostage. Since then, the IDF has killed 69,733 Palestinians and wounded 170,863, many of whom suffered life-altering injuries, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
