At least 32 people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
The civil defence agency, run by Hamas, reported that women and children were among the dead, adding that one strike by helicopter gunships hit a tent housing displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Palestinians have described these strikes as the heaviest since the second phase of the ceasefire, brokered by US President Trump last October, came into effect earlier this month.
The Israeli military confirmed that a number of strikes were carried out in response to what it said was a Hamas violation of the agreement on Friday.
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Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce since it came into effect last year.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “eight terrorists were identified exiting the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah”, an area in Gaza where Israeli forces are deployed under the October agreement.
The IDF said it had, together with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), struck targets in various locations including “four commanders and additional terrorists” as well as a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site and “two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip”.
Hamas has condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, adding that “these ongoing violations” confirm that the Israeli government “continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip”.
It said that seven of the victims were from one displaced family in Khan Younis, with a civil defence spokesman adding that the strikes hit residential apartments, tents, shelters and a police station.
Officials at Gaza City’s Shifa hospital said an air strike on the city hit a residential apartment, killing three children and two women.
“We found my three little nieces in the street. They say ‘ceasefire’ and all. What did those children do? What did we do?” said Samer al-Atbash, an uncle of the three dead children, according to Reuters news agency.
Video footage and images from across Gaza showed several bodies being lifted out of rubble and a number of buildings destroyed.
