Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Jan 30: Israeli shelling and drone strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least five people and injured 11 others on Friday, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials, in fresh violence reported despite the ongoing ceasefire.
The deadly attacks were reported from central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp and the southern city of Rafah. According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, two Palestinian men were killed in Maghazi after being targeted in a drone strike.
In Rafah, the Israeli forces said the air force killed three “terrorists” after a group of eight emerged from an underground location. The Israeli military said further strikes were launched and that soldiers were continuing searches in the area to locate the remaining individuals.
Also in Rafah, Israeli naval gunboats pursued fishing boats and opened heavy machinegun fire on fishermen off the coast, Wafa reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Rafah houses the strategic border crossing to Egypt, the only passage between Gaza and the outside world that does not lead into Israel, and a key route for humanitarian aid. Palestinian authorities have demanded the immediate reopening of the crossing, saying the continued blockade has blocked the entry of essential supplies for tens of thousands of displaced people in the area.
Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, six Palestinians were injured after Israeli forces shelled a tent sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, sources from al-Helal field hospital and Nasser Hospital told Al Jazeera Arabic. Anadolu agency reported that a pregnant woman was among those injured.
Palestinian authorities in Gaza said Israeli strikes and operations have killed at least 492 Palestinians and injured 1,356 since the ceasefire came into force in October. The US-brokered ceasefire, aimed at halting the fighting between Israel and Hamas since October 7, 2023, has been in place for over three months, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations.
Earlier this month, Washington said the ceasefire had moved into its second phase, intended to bring a definitive end to the war, though progress on the ground remains limited.
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need to fully implement the ceasefire agreement, including the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. However, the Israeli military said its forces remain deployed in accordance with the agreement and will continue operations to remove any immediate threat.