Escalation Rocks Gaza Ceasefire: Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 28 Palestinians

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night resulted in the deaths of at least 28 Palestinians, including nine children and one woman, marking a significant escalation of violence despite the existing ceasefire with Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strikes targeted Hamas sites following a “violation of the ceasefire agreement,” claiming that “several terrorists” fired upon Israeli soldiers operating near Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The IDF reported no injuries to its forces.

Hamas condemned the attacks as “a dangerous escalation” and denied the IDF’s version of events, accusing Israel of trying to “justify its ongoing crimes.” Hamas urged the U.S. to impose “immediate, serious pressure” on Israel to respect the truce.

According to health officials in the enclave, the strikes killed at least 28 and injured a minimum of 77 others.

The most fatal attack occurred in the Zaytun area in eastern Gaza, killing 10 people, including a woman and a child.

Another strike hit a facility west of Khan Younis, reportedly targeting “a group of civilians inside the UNRWA club” (United Nations Relief and Works Agency).

The violence occurs just days after the UN Security Council endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for achieving a sustainable peace and reconstruction in the devastated territory.

This marks the third major escalation since the October ceasefire agreement took effect, each preceded by an attack on Israeli soldiers. Previous escalations resulted in approximately 150 Palestinian deaths and three Israeli soldier fatalities, though the ceasefire has generally remained intact.

Separately, Israel also carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, targeting what it claimed were Hezbollah weapons storage facilities.

This follows an earlier Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon on Tuesday that killed 13 people, which the IDF justified as targeting a Hamas training compound used for attacks against Israel, despite a separate ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect in November 2024.

The ongoing conflict began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people. Since then, over 69,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry.