Gaza City, Palestinian Territories. At least nine Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in northern and southern Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian civil defence and health officials said. The Israel Defense Forces said the strikes targeted Hamas in response to alleged ceasefire violations.
Reported casualties in northern and southern Gaza
Medics said an Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment housing displaced families killed at least four people. Health officials said another strike killed five people in Khan Younis in the south.
Israeli account of the strikes and ceasefire violations
An Israeli military official said the Israel Defense Forces were striking Hamas “terrorists” in response to “a violation (on Saturday) in Beit Hanoun where terrorists emerged from a tunnel east of the yellow line”.
The official called Sunday’s strikes “precise” and in line with international law, and said Hamas had committed more than six violations of an October ceasefire, including deploying east of the “Yellow Line” agreed under the ceasefire to demarcate Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas.
Ceasefire dispute and military activity
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire deal, a key element of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war.
On Saturday, the military said it had identified armed “terrorists” near IDF personnel operating in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF said it continued to destroy underground tunnels in the northern Gaza Strip in accordance with the agreement.
It said it observed several gunmen emerging from what it said was a tunnel and entering beneath the rubble of a building east of the Yellow Line. The military said Air Force aircraft had attacked the building and eliminated two gunmen and that it was likely that additional militants were eliminated in the strike.
Deaths reported since the deal began
The Gaza health ministry said at least 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the Gaza deal began. Israel said four soldiers were killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.
What impact will the continuing allegations of ceasefire violations have on the agreement’s durability?
