Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least five Palestinians and wounded 18 more on Thursday as Israel continues to violate the US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal, bringing the death toll over the previous 24 hours to more than 30.
Palestinian medics told Reuters that a strike on a house in the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, killed three people, including a baby girl, and wounded 15 others. Another Israeli strike in the nearby town of Abassan killed one man and wounded three others, and a fifth Palestinian was later killed by Israeli gunfire in the same area.
Israel acknowledged it launched airstrikes but claimed it was unaware of any casualties. The IDF also claimed that the strikes were launched on the Israeli-occupied side of the “yellow line,” the boundary that IDF troops withdrew to under the truce deal. Residents of Bani Suheila have previously reported strikes on a tent in the town that was beyond the yellow line.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that Israeli forces killed at least 32 Palestinians, including 12 children and eight women, over the previous 24-hour period. “A number of victims are still under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews have been unable to reach them so far,” the ministry said. Since October 10, the IDF has killed at least 312 Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel unleashed airstrikes on Wednesday after claiming, without providing evidence, that its troops in Israeli-occupied Gaza came under fire. No casualties were reported, and Hamas denied the claim that its fighters launched an attack, saying it was a “weak and exposed attempt to justify their ongoing crimes and violations.”
The US backed Israel’s escalation and slaughter of women and children, with a US official claiming to NBC News that it was Hamas trying to break the ceasefire. “These desperate tactics will fail,” the official said.
Israel’s heavy attacks came just two days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution affirming President Trump’s Gaza plan and placing the Palestinian territory under the control of a US-backed body, dubbed the “Board for Peace.”
