Israel has killed more than 100 people in a wave of airstrikes on Gaza, according to local health authorities, while saying it’s still committed to a United States-backed ceasefire.
The strikes followed the killing of an Israeli soldier in Gaza on Tuesday, with Israel saying the soldier was attacked by gunmen on territory within the ‘yellow line’ where its troops withdrew under the truce. Hamas has denied blame for the soldier’s death.
Even as Israel’s military affirmed it still intended to uphold the truce, it announced it had carried out another airstrike in the north of Gaza, where it said weapons had been stored. Medics said two people were killed in that attack.
Israel has labeled its recent offensive as a precise operation targeting Beit Lahia in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, claiming the area was a storage site for weapons.
This military action represents the most intense flare-up in Gaza since a truce was established on October 10.
Israel emphasized its commitment to maintaining the ceasefire deal while stating its determination to react decisively to any breaches.
“Nothing is going to jeopardise” the ceasefire, Trump said.
“You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who has acted as a mediator between Hamas and Israel, said the attack on the Israeli soldier and the subsequent Israeli airstrikes had been “very disappointing and frustrating for us”.
Displaced Palestinians feared the truce could fall apart.
“The sounds of explosions and planes made us feel as if war had started again,” Ismail Zayda, 40, living in tents in western Gaza City with his 25-member family, told the Reuters news agency.
“When provoked, the Israelis have retaliated, and they are justified in doing so. It is expected they will respond accordingly,” stated an official.
Many displaced Palestinians fear the truce could fall apart in the wake of the recent Israeli attacks. Source: AAP / Mohammed Saber
Under the accord, Hamas released all living hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, many of the latter held without charge, while Israel pulled back its troops and halted its offensive.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by stalling in handing over bodies.
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