Israeli Strikes Kill at Least Five in Gaza on Saturday as Fragile Year-Old Ceasefire Frays Further
Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in two separate attacks, health officials said, as Israel's stepped-up air campaign in the territory continues. Medics said four people were killed in a strike near Panda Mall in Gaza City and one person in the Tuffah neighborhood further south. The Israeli military said the two strikes targeted militants, without giving further information.
The strikes come as Israel has intensified operations against Hamas in recent weeks, saying the Palestinian militant group has been rearming and carrying out attacks in violation of the ceasefire. Hamas denies rebuilding its arsenal or planning attacks and accuses Israel of undermining a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed a year ago. That agreement was meant to open the door to eventual reconstruction of the territory, but little progress has been made toward implementing a deal that would include Hamas disarming and Israel withdrawing its troops.
According to Gaza health officials, at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce was agreed last October. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period. The toll underlines how fragile the year-old ceasefire has become, with near-daily strikes and a humanitarian situation that aid groups describe as catastrophic.
The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw a further 251 taken hostage. Israel's subsequent bombardment and ground operations in Gaza have killed more than 74,000 people, according to Gaza health officials. With both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire and no political horizon in sight, Saturday's strikes add another grim milestone to a war whose end remains elusive.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Mujaddara，CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）
