Gaza ceasefire violations continue as Israeli artillery shelled various areas across the Strip early Saturday, while the IDF carried out demolition operations targeting buildings east of Khan Younis in the southern enclave.
The attacks came as part of Israel’s daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in force since October 10.
Israeli artillery struck multiple locations east of Gaza City and east of the town of Jabalia in the north of the enclave, eyewitnesses told Turkish news agency Anadolu.
They added that the army carried out demolition operations targeting buildings and homes east of Khan Younis, triggering a massive explosion heard across large parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli naval vessels also opened fire toward the coasts of Rafah and Khan Younis, while an Israeli helicopter fired shots over Rafah.
Israel has continued to violate the ceasefire deal despite a January announcement by the US administration that the second phase of the agreement had begun. That phase includes additional Israeli withdrawals from Gaza and the launch of reconstruction efforts, which the United Nations estimates will cost about 70 billion dollars.
The ceasefire halted an Israeli offensive that began in October 2023, killing nearly 72,000 Palestinians and wounding more than 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.
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Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli army has continued to violate it, killing 574 Palestinians and wounding 1,518 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Board of Peace fundraiser
The White House is planning to host a leaders’ summit of the Gaza “Board of Peace” on February 19 to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and raise funding for reconstruction in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, Axios reported Friday, citing US and diplomatic sources.
“It will be the first Board of Peace meeting and a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction,” Axios quoted a US official.
The Trump administration has begun reaching out to dozens of countries to invite leaders and discuss logistics, according to the report. The meeting is expected to be held at the Institute of Peace in Washington.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the administration is planning it and has started checking which leaders are able to attend,” one source told Axios.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on February 18, a day before the planned gathering. Netanyahu has accepted Trump’s invitation for Israel to join the board but has not yet signed its charter.
If Netanyahu attends, it would mark his first public meeting alongside Arab and Muslim leaders since before the October 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas and subsequent onslaught by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
The summit plans remain in early stages and could change. The White House declined to comment.
