Death toll reaches 33 in some of deadliest Israeli strikes in Gaza since ceasefire began

Deir Al-Balah: Israeli airstrikes in Gaza over a roughly 12 -hour period have killed at least 33 people, according to hospital officials, marking one of the deadliest episodes since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect on 10 October. The escalation unfolded early Thursday, centred on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where two strikes killed five people and triggered a series of retaliatory exchanges.

Israeli forces said the surge in activity followed gunfire directed at soldiers operating in Khan Younis on Wednesday. Although Israel reported no military casualties, it responded with targeted strikes in the area. Hospital officials at Nasser hospital stated they received the bodies of 17 people killed in four separate airstrikes on tents sheltering displaced families. Among the dead were five women and five children.

In Gaza City, two strikes on a residential building killed 16 people, including seven children and three women. The victims were taken to Al-Shifa hospital in the northern part of the city. Hamas condemned the attacks as a shocking massacre and denied firing on Israeli troops.

Medical staff said the bodies from Thursday’s strikes came from both sides of the boundary created under the ceasefire arrangement last month. The line splits Gaza into two zones: a border belt controlled by Israeli forces and a designated safe zone beyond it. While Israeli attacks have reduced since the truce took effect, the strikes have not stopped entirely.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports more than 300 deaths since the ceasefire began, averaging over seven per day. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but its casualty records are widely relied upon by the UN and independent analysts. Each side has accused the other of violating ceasefire obligations, which include increasing humanitarian aid deliveries and facilitating the return of hostages, both living and dead, to Israel.

The recent fatalities add to the more than 69,000 Palestinians reported killed since Israel launched its offensive two years ago. The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others, setting off a conflict that continues to destabilise the region.