Four killed in new Israeli strikes on Gaza as Qatar condemns “dangerous escalation” that threatens fragile ceasefire with Hamas
GAZA CITY: Israeli air strikes killed four people in Gaza on Thursday as Qatar warned the attacks threatened to undermine the fragile ceasefire.
The strikes came after one of the deadliest days in Gaza since the truce began on October 10.
Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis reported four fatalities, including three from one family with a one-year-old girl killed east of Khan Yunis.
A source at Gaza’s Hamas-run interior ministry said artillery fire continued in the Khan Yunis area.
Qatar condemned what it called “brutal” Israeli air strikes, labeling them “a dangerous escalation that threatens to undermine the ceasefire agreement”.
Gazans expressed despair at the renewed attacks, with resident Lina Kuraz saying “every time we try to regain hope, the shelling starts again”.
The Israeli military acknowledged “a strike east of the yellow line that was done to dismantle terror infrastructures”.
Israel has conducted repeated strikes against what it calls Hamas targets during the ceasefire, resulting in more than 312 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Wednesday’s Israeli strikes left 27 dead in Gaza, according to the civil defence agency.
Displaced resident Mohammed Hamdouna stated “the war hasn’t ended” despite the truce, noting “martyrs and shelling happen every day”.
Hamas urged international mediators to pressure Israel to stop its attacks, with spokesman Hazem Qassem saying “the occupation is acting with blatant disregard to the mediators’ efforts”.
The conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,221 people.
Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 69,546 people according to UN-verified health ministry figures.
Israel also conducted strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities. – AFP
