According to reports from Gaza, Israeli airstrikes on Saturday resulted in numerous casualties, marking a severe test of the fragile ceasefire that had brought a period of relative calm to the region. The incidents have led to renewed accusations between Hamas and Israel, with each blaming the other for violating the truce.
Gaza's Civil Defence agency reported that 21 people were killed and dozens more were wounded in a series of five separate Israeli airstrikes . A spokesman for the agency, Mahmud Bassal, described the strikes as a clear violation of the ongoing ceasefire . The attacks targeted multiple locations, including a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, where seven people were killed and over 16 were injured . Another strike on a residential apartment in the Al-Nasr district, west of Gaza City, killed four and injured several others . An earlier strike targeted a vehicle in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City, killing five people and leaving several injured . An Associated Press video from the scene of the vehicle strike showed a blackened vehicle with its top blown off, with children and others inspecting the wreckage .
This recent surge in violence is not isolated. This past Wednesday was also one of the deadliest days since the truce began, with officials reporting 27 fatalities from Israeli strikes . According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, the death toll from Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on October 10 has risen to at least 312 Palestinians . The Israeli military has stated that these strikes are responses to attacks on its troops, citing incidents such as an "armed terrorist" crossing into an Israeli-held area and firing at soldiers . Hamas has denounced these actions, calling them a "dangerous escalation" and accusing Israel of attempting to undermine the ceasefire agreement .
The human toll of the ongoing conflict remains staggering. The overall war, which was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has led to a devastating loss of life in Gaza. Figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, which the UN has historically considered reliable, report that at least 69,733 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive . The Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its overall figures but has stated that women and children make up the majority of those killed . Independent analyses have estimated that as much as 80% of the Palestinians killed are civilians . The conflict has also resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis, with most of the population displaced and facing dire conditions .
The ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, followed two years of war and was intended to be a step toward a more lasting peace . This truce was shored up by a recent UN Security Council resolution that endorsed a U.S. peace plan and authorized the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) tasked with ensuring the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip . However, Hamas has reiterated that it will not give up its weapons without the establishment of a Palestinian state, arguing that its fight is a legitimate "resistance" . The recent strikes and accusations of truce violations threaten to derail these international diplomatic efforts and plunge the region back into wider conflict.