Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Feb 1: At least 32 people were killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, local authorities said, marking what Palestinians described as the heaviest bombardment since the second phase of the ceasefire came into effect earlier this month.
The Hamas-run civil defence agency said women and children were among those killed. It claimed that in one of the attacks, Israeli helicopter gunships struck a tent sheltering displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis. Seven members of a single displaced family were reported killed in that strike.
Israeli forces confirmed carrying out multiple air strikes, saying the action was taken in response to what it described as a Hamas violation of the ceasefire agreement on Friday. Both Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of breaching the truce since it was brokered by US President Donald Trump last October.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said eight militants were identified exiting underground infrastructure in eastern Rafah, where Israeli troops remain deployed under the October agreement. The IDF said it, along with the Israel Security Agency, struck several targets, including four commanders, other militants, weapons storage facilities, manufacturing sites and two launch sites in central Gaza.
Hamas condemned the strikes and urged the United States to intervene immediately, alleging that the attacks showed Israel continued its “brutal war of genocide” against Gaza. A civil defence spokesperson said residential apartments, tents, shelters and a police station were hit in the strikes.
Hospital officials in Gaza City said an air strike on a residential apartment killed three children and two women. “We found my three little nieces in the street. They say ‘ceasefire’ and all. What did those children do? What did we do?” an uncle of the victims was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Local authorities also said a police station in Gaza City was struck, killing at least 12 people. Visuals from across the enclave showed bodies being pulled from rubble and widespread destruction of buildings.
The escalation came ahead of the planned reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday, following Israel’s recovery of the body of its last hostage earlier this week.
Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes and called on all parties to exercise restraint. Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire talks, also denounced what it termed repeated Israeli violations.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 71,660 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures that have been cited by the United Nations and international rights groups. Israel has disputed the numbers in the past but local media have quoted senior security sources as acknowledging that more than 70,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict.