At least 32 people have been killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local authorities. The civil defence agency, which is operated by Hamas, says children and women were among those killed. It added that in one attack, helicopter gunships hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Palestinians have described these strikes as the heaviest since the second phase of the ceasefire, brokered by US President Trump last October, came into effect earlier this month. The Israeli military confirmed that a number of strikes were carried out in response to what it said was a Hamas violation of the agreement on Friday.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce since it came into effect last year. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said eight terrorists were identified exiting the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah, an area in Gaza where Israeli forces are deployed under the October agreement.
The IDF said it had, together with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), struck targets in various locations including four commanders and additional terrorists as well as a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
Hamas has condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, adding that these ongoing violations confirm that the Israeli government continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip. It said that seven of the victims were from one displaced family in Khan Younis, with a civil defence spokesman adding that the strikes hit residential apartments, tents, shelters, and a police station.
Officials at Gaza City's Shifa hospital said an air strike on the city hit a residential apartment, killing three children and two women. Eyewitnesses described the aftermath of the strikes, with video footage showing bodies being lifted out of rubble and a number of buildings destroyed.
The strikes come as the Rafah crossing, Gaza's border with Egypt, is due to reopen on Sunday after the IDF recovered the body of Israel's last hostage earlier this week. Egypt and Qatar have both condemned the recent strikes and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
The ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of more than 71,660 people since it began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with the toll emphasizing the dire humanitarian situation faced by civilians caught in the crossfire.
Palestinians have described these strikes as the heaviest since the second phase of the ceasefire, brokered by US President Trump last October, came into effect earlier this month. The Israeli military confirmed that a number of strikes were carried out in response to what it said was a Hamas violation of the agreement on Friday.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce since it came into effect last year. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said eight terrorists were identified exiting the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah, an area in Gaza where Israeli forces are deployed under the October agreement.
The IDF said it had, together with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), struck targets in various locations including four commanders and additional terrorists as well as a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
Hamas has condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, adding that these ongoing violations confirm that the Israeli government continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip. It said that seven of the victims were from one displaced family in Khan Younis, with a civil defence spokesman adding that the strikes hit residential apartments, tents, shelters, and a police station.
Officials at Gaza City's Shifa hospital said an air strike on the city hit a residential apartment, killing three children and two women. Eyewitnesses described the aftermath of the strikes, with video footage showing bodies being lifted out of rubble and a number of buildings destroyed.
The strikes come as the Rafah crossing, Gaza's border with Egypt, is due to reopen on Sunday after the IDF recovered the body of Israel's last hostage earlier this week. Egypt and Qatar have both condemned the recent strikes and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
The ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of more than 71,660 people since it began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with the toll emphasizing the dire humanitarian situation faced by civilians caught in the crossfire.
