Dozens of Palestinians, including children and the elderly, have been killed in a wave of overnight Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 50 deaths and around 200 injuries, describing the aftermath as “catastrophicu”.
The latest escalation comes despite a ceasefire agreement brokered earlier this month by the United States.
Strikes Target Displaced Communities and Hospitals
According to Gaza’s emergency teams, the strikes hit several civilian areas, including tents sheltering displaced families, residential homes, and the vicinity of a hospital. The main Al-Shifa Hospital said one explosion struck its backyard, while Al-Awda Hospital confirmed receiving several bodies from Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, including four children.
Israel launched the strikes on Tuesday, accusing Hamas of violating the truce by attacking Israeli troops in Gaza. Hamas has denied involvement in the reported incident and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.
The Israeli army later confirmed that one of its soldiers, 37-year-old Yona Efraim Feldbaum, was killed during combat in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Tensions Over Hostage Remains
The fragile truce has also been strained by disputes over the return of hostages’ bodies. Hamas, which captured 251 people during its 2023 assault on Israel, has delayed handing over one of the remaining bodies, saying the renewed strikes have hampered recovery efforts.
The group said it recently located the bodies of two more hostages but did not specify when they would be returned. Israel, however, has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by failing to return the remains as agreed.
Earlier this week, Hamas came under pressure after returning partial remains that Israeli authorities said belonged to a hostage already identified two years ago. Israeli officials accused Hamas of fabricating the recovery, while the militant group insisted that locating the bodies has become extremely difficult due to widespread destruction.
International Reaction
While visiting Asia, US President Donald Trump defended Israel’s right to respond to the killing of an Israeli soldier but maintained that the ceasefire remains intact. US Vice President JD Vance also said the truce was still in effect despite “skirmishes” on the ground.
Mounting Civilian Toll
Since the war began with Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, at least 1,221 people have been killed in Israel, most of them civilians. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has left more than 68,000 Palestinians dead, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory , figures the United Nations considers credible.
Although the ceasefire officially holds, residents in Gaza fear the return of full-scale fighting. Many, like 60-year-old Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed, say they are exhausted and fear the conflict will soon resume.
“We just want to rest,” he said. “But it feels like the war will come back.”
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