Another sharp burst of violence shattered the fragile calm in Gaza on Saturday, as Israeli airstrikes hit multiple locations and Gaza health officials reported heavy casualties. At least 24 people were killed and 54 wounded many of them children officials said, and medics warned the toll could rise as some victims remain in critical condition.
The strikes came after Israeli forces said an “armed terrorist” crossed into an Israeli-held area and fired on troops in southern Gaza. Israel said no soldiers were hurt but called the incident “an extreme violation” of the ceasefire, and said it carried out strikes in response. Military statements also said operations in Rafah and in the north killed several people described as “terrorists.”
Scenes from Gaza City Rimal neighborhood underscored the human cost: one strike on a vehicle left it blown apart and killed 11 people while more than 20 were wounded, hospital officials said. Rescue workers and bystanders picked through scorched wreckage as hospitals took in the injured. Other strikes hit homes near Al-Awda Hospital, in the Nuseirat camp and in Deir al-Balah, killing and wounding families, according to local hospitals.
“I heard a powerful explosion and then smoke covered everything,” said Khalil Abu Hatab, a resident of Deir al-Balah. He described the panic as people fled tents and homes. “It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place,” he said.
The exchanges of fire come as diplomats have been trying to lock in a political road map for Gaza. On Monday, the U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-backed blueprint that would authorize an international stabilization force and a temporary governing body for Gaza, and that envisions a possible path toward Palestinian statehood. Supporters say the plan could help secure the fragile ceasefire and rebuild services; critics worry the political and security details remain unclear.
Violence has not been limited to Saturday. Health officials said at least 33 Palestinians were killed during a separate 12-hour wave of strikes earlier in the week, many of them reported to be women and children. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by the Hamas-led administration, says the overall death toll from Israel’s offensive since October 2023 has reached 69,733 people, with 170,863 wounded. The ministry records do not separate civilians and combatants but say women and children make up a large share of the casualties.
Israel says the war began after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to hundreds of hostages being taken; most hostages or their remains have since been returned in various deals and pauses in the fighting. Israeli officials say their strikes target militants and retaliatory threats; Palestinian authorities and aid groups warn of the humanitarian toll and damage to hospitals, homes and infrastructure.
As hospitals treated the newly wounded and recovery teams searched rubble, diplomats, militaries and aid groups watched nervously. The ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 has been punctuated by deadly incidents, and each new flare-up raises fresh fears that the temporary calm could break again with heavy consequences for civilians on both sides.
