Gaza Strikes Kill 22 as Fighting Intensifies
Gaza Strikes Kill 22 as Fighting Intensifies
Air strikes across Gaza kill 22 Palestinians, including a senior Hamas commander, as both sides accuse each other of violating a fragile ceasefire.
In Gaza, at least 22 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli air strikes across northern and central Gaza, medics said. Five sites were hit, including residential homes, and a senior Hamas commander was among the dead, according to local sources. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Gaza in response to an incident earlier on Saturday, when it said an armed terrorist had fired at soldiers after crossing the Strip's yellow line designating areas under full Israeli control. Hamas denied this. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire deal agreed on six weeks ago.
Witnesses and medics reported that in Gaza City, a car in the densely populated Rimal neighbourhood was struck, setting it ablaze and killing four people while wounding others.
The violence comes as the weeks-old ceasefire remains fragile. The truce brokered by international mediators had been in place for six weeks but has been repeatedly tested as fighting flares in Gaza and along the border. The latest clashes have already drawn casualties on both sides, with hundreds of Palestinians reported dead and at least three Israeli soldiers killed in the weeks since the cease-fire.
Analysts say the latest strikes could escalate retaliation and threaten the broader effort to sustain a deal. The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, but the newest clashes threaten to derail it.
Humanitarian agencies urged restraint and called for protection of civilians amid growing pressure on both sides to de-escalate.
Cover image source: 20 Killed in Israeli Strikes as Israel and Hamas Trade Blame Over Truce 🔗
