Israel has launched a wave of deadly airstrikes across Gaza despite a ceasefire, killing more than a hundred Palestinians, including dozens of children.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 104 Palestinians, including 46 children and 20 women, have been killed since Tuesday evening. Over 253 others have been injured in what officials described as relentless attacks on civilian areas.
Medical sources explained that the Israeli strikes targeted homes, tents for displaced families, a hospital, and shelters inside the so-called “yellow line,” a demarcation zone established under the ceasefire agreement dividing Gaza between non-Israeli occupied territory and Israeli occupied territory. The ministry added that hospitals have been overwhelmed as casualties continue to arrive.
Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said on Facebook that more than 100 Palestinians were killed in “horrific Israeli massacres” within 12 hours. He accused the international community of silence and inaction while Israel continued its offensive.
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israel killed 31 Gazans in northern Gaza, 42 in central areas, and 18 in the south, with dozens of civilians being injured across the strip.
The Israeli military’s attacks included strikes on a school-turned-shelter, houses in Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighbourhood and Shati refugee camp, as well as a mosque in the Sabra neighbourhood in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Medical staff retrieved the bodies of civilians, including children, from under the rubble in multiple neighbourhoods, including Zeitoun, Tel al-Hawa, and Deir al-Balah. Witnesses said entire families were wiped out, and many victims remain missing under collapsed buildings.
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Ceasefire violations and Israeli response
The violence comes despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, which took effect on October 10. The deal’s first phase involved the exchange of Israeli hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, and was expected to pave the way for Gaza’s reconstruction and a new governing framework without Hamas.
However, the renewed Israeli attacks have clearly breached the fragile ceasefire. Since the supposed truce began, at least 211 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 600 injured in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry figures. Gaza’s authorities have warned that the number could rise as more bodies are recovered.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not returning to “full-scale war.” In a post on X, he accused Netanyahu of weakness, saying the government “has no right to exist” if it abandons the goal of destroying Hamas.
The Israeli army said the latest strikes were a response to the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah. Netanyahu had earlier vowed to deliver “powerful” retaliation, while President Trump stated that Israel had “hit back” but insisted that the ceasefire remained intact. He added that Hamas “has to behave.”
Hamas have categorically denied these accusations, arguing that Israel is seeking to return to its genocidal violence in Gaza while they remain committed to the terms of the ceasefire.
As Gaza reels from the latest bloodshed, humanitarian agencies warn that the population remains trapped in worsening conditions, with thousands still missing and infrastructure severely damaged.
The ceasefire, meant to offer relief, now risks collapsing entirely amid escalating violence by Israel.
