The Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” had crossed the so-called Yellow Line within the Gaza Strip, behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn, and fired at Israeli soldiers.
GAZA: At least 24 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli drone and missile strikes across northern and central Gaza on Saturday, with dozens more injured, in what has become the most serious test yet of the ceasefire that began on October 10.
Health officials in Gaza reported 24 deaths and 54 wounded, including several children, as Israeli attacks intensified through the day.
Saturday marked one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10, following two years of conflict.
According to the Israeli military, an “armed terrorist” crossed the Yellow Line inside Gaza — the zone behind which Israeli forces had pulled back — and opened fire on Israeli soldiers.
The attack occurred in southern Gaza on a route used for transporting humanitarian aid. In response, the Israeli military said it “began striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel has launched similar rounds of strikes during the ceasefire after reporting attacks on its troops. At least 33 Palestinians — mostly women and children — were killed over a 12-hour period on Wednesday and Thursday, health officials said.
As of Thursday, the Gaza health ministry reported that 312 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the temporary truce began.
Photo | AP
A photograph from Gaza City on November 22 showed Palestinians, including displaced families, inspecting a vehicle destroyed by an Israeli strike.
Truce violation allegations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of breaking the truce.
“Hamas violated the ceasefire again, sending a terrorist into Israel-held territory to attack IDF soldiers,” it said on X. “In response, Israel eliminated five senior Hamas terrorists.”
The statement added, “Israel has fully honoured the ceasefire; Hamas has not. We call on mediators to ensure Hamas fulfills its commitments.”
Hamas, however, accused Israel of attempting to “undermine the ceasefire” through escalating military actions.
The group urged mediators to apply urgent pressure on Israel to halt the strikes.
The Palestinian foreign ministry in the West Bank condemned the attacks, calling on the international community to apply “immediate pressure” to stop what it described as ongoing “massacres.”
Aid still restricted despite ceasefire
The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said that although the ceasefire was intended to increase aid deliveries into Gaza, the process remains heavily obstructed by visa delays, limited border openings, and restrictions on imports.
In Khan Yunis, displaced resident Jihad Abed Al-Aziz, 55, stood at a crowded food distribution center and said the truce had brought little relief.
“A ceasefire is pointless,” he told AFP. “The crossings do not bring enough food or basic supplies. We have lost our homes, our jobs, everything. Life has no meaning anymore.”
The war began after Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, killing 1,221 people. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 69,733 Palestinians, according to Gaza health ministry figures, which the UN considers reliable.
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