Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Nov 20: At least 25 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday as fresh Israeli air, drone and artillery strikes hit multiple locations across the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry reported, marking a sudden escalation after days of relative calm.

Rescue teams said 10 people, including a woman and a young girl, lost their lives when a building belonging to the Ministry of Religious Endowments in the eastern Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City was struck. Visuals shared by Civil Defence teams showed rescuers pulling two people from under the rubble, while photos from Anadolu Agency showed the bodies of three young children reportedly recovered from the scene.

The Israeli military said the strikes were launched after “Hamas terrorist targets” opened fire toward Israeli soldiers operating in Khan Younis, calling it a violation of the five-week-old ceasefire. Hamas offered no immediate comment.

According to Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, Israeli attacks hit several areas in Gaza City and Khan Younis shortly after sunset. A drone strike at Shejaiya junction on Salah al-Din Street killed one person and injured several more, while a tank shell hit a home belonging to the Balboul family in Mushtaha Street, killing another civilian.

In Khan Younis, three more people were confirmed dead when a strike hit a sports club operated by UNRWA, the UN’s refugee agency.

Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that the intended targets included the Hamas Zeitoun Battalion commander and the commander of the group’s naval force.

The escalation came barely 48 hours after the UN Security Council endorsed US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, approving the formation of a transitional governance body called the Board of Peace, chaired by Trump, and authorising an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to oversee the demilitarisation process.

Trump hailed the move as “historic”, while Hamas rejected calls for disarmament, insisting it would not surrender its weapons without the establishment of a Palestinian state, calling its actions “legitimate resistance”. Israel’s ambassador to the UN stressed that Israel would “not let up” until Hamas no longer posed a threat.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed at least 69,500 people in Gaza, including 280 during the ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.