Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 28 Palestinians on Wednesday in the latest escalation of violence since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect.
The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out the strikes on Hamas targets after “several terrorists” fired on Israeli soldiers operating in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. “This action constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF said, adding that none of its forces had been injured.
Hamas condemned the strikes as “a dangerous escalation” and rejected the IDF’s account, accusing Israel of trying to “justify its ongoing crimes and violations.” It called on the US to exert “immediate, serious pressure” on Israel to “respect the ceasefire and halt the aggression against our people.”
The strikes come just days after the UN Security Council endorsed US President Donald Trump’s plan for how to move beyond the fragile truce to a more sustainable peace and the reconstruction of the devastated enclave.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Israel also carried out airstrikes on what it claimed were Hezbollah weapons storage sites in southern Lebanon.
The strikes in Gaza were the third major escalation since the ceasefire agreement came into force in October, each preceded by an attack on Israeli soldiers.
In the two previous escalations, on October 19 and 28, approximately 150 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers were killed.
