At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli strikes across Gaza, the deadliest day since October's ceasefire. The attacks targeted multiple locations throughout the territory, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent camp in Khan Younis, leaving at least two women and six children among the dead.
The victims include four members of one family and three others from another family, according to officials at Shifa Hospital, which received several of the bodies. An air strike also hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 14 officers, including four policewomen, and leaving civilians and inmates held at the station injured.
The strikes came just hours before the Rafah crossing along the Egyptian border is set to open for the first time since the start of the war, marking a major step forward in the US-brokered ceasefire. The opening of the crossing will provide much-needed access to medical treatment for Palestinians who have been unable to leave Gaza due to closures at all crossings.
The attacks are a stark reminder that despite the agreement, the death toll in Gaza remains high. Over 520 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on October 10, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Hamas has condemned Saturday's strikes as a "renewed flagrant violation" of the ceasefire agreement, calling on the United States and other mediating countries to push Israel to stop its attacks. Israel's military responded that its actions were in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas militants, who were killed by Israeli forces in an area near Rafah on Friday.
The victims include four members of one family and three others from another family, according to officials at Shifa Hospital, which received several of the bodies. An air strike also hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 14 officers, including four policewomen, and leaving civilians and inmates held at the station injured.
The strikes came just hours before the Rafah crossing along the Egyptian border is set to open for the first time since the start of the war, marking a major step forward in the US-brokered ceasefire. The opening of the crossing will provide much-needed access to medical treatment for Palestinians who have been unable to leave Gaza due to closures at all crossings.
The attacks are a stark reminder that despite the agreement, the death toll in Gaza remains high. Over 520 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on October 10, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Hamas has condemned Saturday's strikes as a "renewed flagrant violation" of the ceasefire agreement, calling on the United States and other mediating countries to push Israel to stop its attacks. Israel's military responded that its actions were in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas militants, who were killed by Israeli forces in an area near Rafah on Friday.