Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 12 people since dawn on Sunday, while a military official said the attacks were in response to ceasefire violations.
Even as a U.S.-brokered truce entered its second phase last month, violence continues in the Palestinian territories, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the agreement.
The civil defense agency, a relief force affiliated with Hamas authorities, said one attack hit tents belonging to displaced people in northern Gaza and another targeted an area in the south.
The agency said in a statement that an airstrike hit a tent for displaced people in Jabaliya in the north, killing five people and injuring many others.
Five more people were killed and many others wounded in another early morning attack in the southern city of Khan Younis, the agency said, adding that Israeli shelling of Gaza City killed one person.
The agency also said a person was shot dead by Israel in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza.
Shifa and Al-Nasser hospitals confirmed they had received at least seven bodies.
“Israel does not understand ceasefires or truces,” said Osama Abu Askar, who lost his nephew in the Jabaliya attack.
He said those killed there were attacked while sleeping.
“We have been living under the truce for several months, but they are still targeting us. Israel follows this principle – says one thing and does another,” Askar told AFP.
-Funeral Prayers-
Dozens of relatives and mourners gathered at Al-Nasser Hospital, where the bodies of some of the victims were laid out in white shrouds.
Before the funeral, men and women stood and prayed facing the body in the hospital yard.
A military official said Israeli forces carried out the attack in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas.
“The breach included the identification of several armed terrorists who were likely hiding under rubble east of the Yellow Line and near the IDF after leaving underground infrastructure in the area,” the official said.
The official added: “Crossing the Yellow Line near armed IDF troops is a clear violation of the ceasefire and demonstrates how Hamas systematically violates ceasefire agreements with the intention of harming troops.”
Under the terms of the ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Israeli forces retreated to positions behind the so-called “yellow line”, although they still control more than half of Palestinian territory.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim accused Israeli forces of violating the ceasefire in a statement on Sunday.
“The attack on displaced people in tents is a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Qasim said.
Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, said at least 601 people have been killed since the truce began.
The Israeli military said at least four soldiers were killed during the same period.
Media restrictions and restrictions on access to Gaza have prevented AFP and other news agencies from independently verifying casualty figures or reporting freely on the fighting.
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