Ceasefire violation: Overnight Israeli strikes kill 81 in Gaza; more than 20 children among dead
The death toll from Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday has risen to at least 81 people, including more than 20 children, in the most serious test of the increasingly shaky US-brokered ceasefire.Mahmud Bassal, the Gaza civil defence agency spokesperson, told news agency AFP that around 200 people were wounded “in a clear and flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement”, and described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and terrifying.”Meanwhile, the Israeli military said that the ceasefire was back in effect after it completed a number of strikes in which “terror targets and terrorists” were hit inside Gaza.Also read | ‘Immediate, powerful strikes’: Netanyahu orders Gaza offensive; cites Hamas ceasefire breachThe escalation came as US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “nothing” would endanger the Gaza ceasefire. Israel carried out air strikes saying Hamas violated the truce, an allegation the group denied.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered what he called “powerful strikes” after Israeli defence minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of attacking Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Katz did not specify where the incident took place. Hamas said its fighters had “no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah” and reiterated that it was adhering to the US-brokered ceasefire.Trump defended Israel’s response, saying Israel “should hit back” if its soldiers were killed, but added that “nothing’s going to jeopardise” the truce. “They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back. And they should hit back,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during his Asia tour.
Ceasefire under strain
The ceasefire, which began on October 10, has mostly continued despite earlier incidents.Also read | ‘Will defend ourselves’: Netanyahu says Israel needs ‘no approval’ to strike foesOn October 19, Israel said two soldiers were killed by Hamas fire. Israel then launched strikes that local health officials said killed more than 40 Palestinians. Over the weekend, Israel also carried out an airstrike that it said targeted Islamic Jihad militants preparing an attack, injuring several people.Thirteen bodies of hostages are still in Gaza. Hamas said on Tuesday it had recovered the body of a hostage. But after Israel announced plans to strike Gaza, Hamas said it would delay the handover.
