Israel’s military on Saturday said it launched airstrikes against Hamas terrorists in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 14 people killed and another 45 wounded, including children.
Similar waves of strikes have occurred during the ceasefire after reported attacks against Israeli forces.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that an “armed terrorist” used a road through which aid enters the territory to cross the yellow line that was established in last month’s ceasefire. The boundary leaves Gaza’s border zone under the control of Israel’s military, while the area beyond it is meant to serve as a safe zone. The person fired at soldiers and was killed by the IDF, the Israeli military said. No IDF injuries were reported.
The IDF called the incursion a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement” and said that in response, it had begun striking “Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip.”
In a separate statement, Israel’s military said its soldiers killed three “terrorists” in the Rafah area, and killed two others after firing at four people who crossed into Israeli-held areas in northern Gaza and advanced toward soldiers in two separate incidents.
In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement. The terror group accused Israel of altering the terms of the deal and asked that the United States “fulfill its commitments, compel the occupation to implement its obligations, and confront its attempts to undermine the path toward a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Abdel Kareem Hana / AP
One strike targeted a vehicle, killing seven and wounding 18 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. The majority of those wounded were children, director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.
Another strike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least three people and wounded 11 others, according to the hospital. It said a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed one child and wounded 16 others.
And a strike targeting a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza killed three people, including a woman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.
The IDF said that its Southern Command troops remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, and said they “will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”