Gaza suffers deadliest Israeli attack since October ceasefire; over 30 killed in bombing, including children

New Delhi: Saturday proved to be the deadliest day for Gaza since the ceasefire in October. Israeli fighter jets launched the most intense bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip to date, killing at least 30 people.

According to Palestinian health officials, the dead included three young girls from the same family. The attacks targeted residential buildings, tents housing displaced people, and a police station.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, the death toll reached 32 on Saturday. Israel said three militants were killed and a Hamas commander was arrested in a clash in Rafah on Friday. Hamas did not comment on the incident.

The Israeli military said the operation was a response to a violation of the ceasefire. According to the military, eight gunmen were seen emerging from a tunnel in the Rafah area on Friday, leading to a confrontation. This area is under Israeli control as part of the ceasefire agreement. The military claimed it targeted commanders, weapons depots, and manufacturing centers linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

An airstrike on the Sheikh Radwan police station west of Gaza City killed 13 people, including five police officers. The Hamas-run Civil Defense agency said that the search for more bodies in the rubble was ongoing. Attacks also targeted several residential areas in Gaza City and a tent camp for displaced people in Khan Younis.

According to locals, the walls of apartment buildings were blackened by fire, and debris was scattered everywhere. A man named Samar al-Atbash said the bodies of his three young nieces were found in the street. He questioned, “If there is a ceasefire, why are children being killed?” Despite the ceasefire, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli actions so far, most of whom are reported to be civilians. Meanwhile, Palestinian fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers. Both sides are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.

Threat to Trump’s Peace Plan
This violence comes at a time when the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is scheduled to reopen on Sunday under a plan brokered by US President Donald Trump. The next phase of Trump’s plan includes complex issues such as the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. However, with more than 500 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers killed since the ceasefire, hopes for peace appear to be fading.