At least 13 Palestinians were killed as Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza, despite a recent ceasefire agreement. The attacks targeted central Gaza, including Yahya al-Mabhouh, a commander in Hamas’s elite Jabalia Battalion unit. Strikes hit a seaside café in al-Zawaida, between Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and a building in Nusirat refugee camp, with nine bodies and several wounded reported at Al-Aqsa Hospital.
The escalation followed Israeli airstrikes in Rafah after clashes between Hamas gunmen and a pro-Israeli militia behind the “yellow line,” an area under Israeli control. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas traded blame for violating the truce, with the IDF claiming Hamas fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire near Rafah, while Hamas accused Israel of fabricating pretexts for new attacks.
The Israeli military later struck Rafah and Beit Lahia, warning of possible further strikes. Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency reported 13 deaths across the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “strong action” against terrorist targets, accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned of severe consequences for any violations.
The ceasefire, part of a U.S.-brokered 20-point peace plan signed in Sharm el-Sheikh by leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, began on October 10. The Israeli campaign in Gaza followed a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 68,000 people have been killed in the conflict since then.
Will these attacks derail hopes for peace in Gaza? Share your thoughts in the comments.
