Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday resulted in the deaths of at least 12 Palestinians, with several more injured, according to local reports. The Israeli military stated that the attacks were a direct response to ceasefire violations by Hamas, escalating tensions despite a US-brokered truce that entered its second phase last month.
Details of the Attacks
The Gaza civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authorities, reported that five people were killed and several others injured when an airstrike targeted a tent sheltering displaced individuals in the northern city of Jabalia. In a separate early morning strike in the southern city of Khan Younis, five more people were killed and several were injured. Additionally, one person was killed by Israeli shelling in Gaza City, and another died from Israeli gunfire in Beit Lahia.
Hamas Accusations and Hospital Confirmation
Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, accused Israel of committing a new "massacre" against displaced Palestinians, labeling it a serious breach of the ceasefire. This incident occurred just days before the first meeting of the US president Donald Trump's Board of Peace. Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals confirmed receiving the bodies of at least seven people, highlighting the human toll of the violence.
Osama Abu Askar, who lost his nephew in the Jabalia attack, told Agence France-Presse, "Israel doesn't understand ceasefires or truces." He described how the victims were hit as they slept, adding, "We've been living under a truce for months and they've still targeted us. Israel operates on this principle – saying one thing and doing another."
Military Response and Ceasefire Terms
A military official explained that Israeli forces attacked in response to Hamas violations of the ceasefire agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, which took effect on 10 October, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called "yellow line," although they remain in control of more than half of the Palestinian territory.
The official stated, "The violation included an identification of several armed terrorists who took cover under debris east of the yellow line and adjacent to IDF troops, likely after exiting underground infrastructure in the area. Crossing the yellow line in the vicinity of IDF troops, while armed, is an explicit ceasefire violation, and demonstrates how Hamas systematically violates the ceasefire agreement with intent to harm the troops."
Ongoing Disputes and Casualty Figures
Israel has unilaterally moved the yellow line deeper into Gaza, despite Israeli withdrawals being part of the ceasefire deal. Hamas has so far rejected demands to lay down its weapons, as envisaged in the plan, with Israel warning it may force disarmament if necessary. According to Gaza's health ministry, at least 601 people have been killed since the truce began, while the Israeli military reports at least four of its soldiers killed in the same period.
Dozens of relatives and mourners gathered at Nasser hospital, where the bodies of some victims were laid out in white shrouds. Men and women stood in prayer before the funeral, facing the corpses in the hospital compound, underscoring the grief and anger in the community.
