Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 22 Palestinians on Saturday, Gaza’s Civil Defence said, marking what Palestinian factions described as a serious new breach of the ceasefire agreement that has been in place since October. Civil Defence officials said the death toll is likely to rise as rescue crews continue searching collapsed structures in multiple neighborhoods.
A spokesman for the agency said Saturday’s casualties included three people killed when a vehicle was struck near Gaza City, three others who died when a home in Deir al-Balah was bombed, and one person killed in a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Officials said ongoing recovery efforts in several districts were slowed by heavy damage and unstable debris.
The latest round of airstrikes deepened concerns about violations of the ceasefire that was brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States on Oct. 11 to halt Israel’s two-year military campaign in the enclave. Palestinian resistance groups said the continued strikes amounted to a deliberate undermining of the agreement, which had been intended to stop new military incursions and allow greater humanitarian access.
Since the truce took effect, more than 300 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in what Gaza officials describe as repeated Israeli attacks, many of them hitting areas where displaced families have sought refuge. Humanitarian agencies say the Israeli government’s restrictions on aid convoys have contributed to worsening hunger among Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, who are now enduring winter storms and frigid temperatures with limited food, heat or shelter.
The United Nations Children’s Fund reported that Israeli forces have killed an average of two Palestinian children every day during the ceasefire period, underscoring what the agency called a sharply deteriorating situation despite the presence of a formal truce.
In a statement Thursday, Hamas accused Israel of expanding its military footprint inside Gaza by pushing past the truce-mandated yellow demarcation line. The group said Israeli forces had re-entered territories they were required to vacate under the agreement and were displacing families through continued air and artillery bombardment. Hamas urged the ceasefire’s mediators and the United States to intervene, warning that Israel’s actions were destabilizing the entire framework of the agreement.
Civil Defence officials said Israeli forces advanced roughly 250 meters into areas east of Gaza City on Friday, forcing hundreds of families to flee again toward zones without adequate shelter or services. Residents said they feared a return to the large-scale displacement that marked the earliest months of the war.
Saturday’s escalation unfolded less than a week after the United Nations Security Council approved a U.S.-backed plan intended to bolster the ceasefire and lay the groundwork for stabilizing the territory. The plan aims to halt Israel’s war, which Gaza authorities say has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, wounded more than 170,000 and destroyed or damaged about 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.
Despite the truce, residents and rescue workers in Gaza say airstrikes and ground incursions have persisted on an almost daily basis, raising new questions about whether the ceasefire is fragmenting. Civil Defence teams working in central and northern districts said they have struggled to respond quickly to each incident as shifting front lines and damaged roads hinder movement.
