Israeli Strikes Kill at Least Two Dozen in Gaza Amid Frag...

By Mandy Taheri

Politics and Culture Reporter

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Israel struck targets in Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 50 people, including children, according to the Associated Press. The attack comes amid a fragile ceasefire that has seen several violations.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Newsweek in a WhatsApp message that earlier on Saturday an “armed terrorist” shot at “IDF soldiers deployed in the southern Gaza Strip.” The statement continued that “no IDF injuries were reported. The soldiers eliminated the terrorist.”

The IDF spokesperson did not confirm the death toll of Israeli strikes.

Why It Matters

Earlier this week the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council approved a U.S.-drafted resolution that supports President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and would authorize an International Stabilization Force in the territory. It also includes language backing Palestinian self-determination and the potential establishment of a Palestinian state, pending certain conditions.

The first phase of the Trump proposed deal focused on a ceasefire and exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages. The first steps came nearly two years after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel then launched numerous ground and air offensives that killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to the AP.

There have been reports of several ceasefire violations since the initial agreement.

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What To Know

One of Israel’s strikes hit a vehicle, killing 11 and wounding over 20 in the Rimal neighborhood, the AP reported citing the managing director of Shifa Hospital, Rami Mhanna. Other strikes hit houses, one near the Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza and another in Nuseirat camp.

According to the IDF, the strikes came after the “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” which led the IDF to begin “striking Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip.” Several reports, such as from the Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya, noted majority of the wounded were children.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the attacks in an X post on Saturday, writing, "Today, Hamas violated the ceasefire again, sending a terrorist into Israel held territory to attack IDF soldiers. In response, Israel eliminated five senior Hamas terrorists."

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In another post, the office wrote that, "Hamas must immediately return the three deceased hostages it is still holding and complete its disarmament and enable the total demilitarization of Gaza."

A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera, “We asked the mediators to intervene immediately to prevent the collapse of the agreement as the occupation intends."

The Israeli strikes come just days after local health officials reported Israel killed at least 33 Palestinians on Wednesday and Thursday. Last week, intense rain hit Gaza hard, causing mass flooding around refugee camps and bringing unsanitary water into people's tents.

What People Are Saying

Khalil Abu Hatab in Deir al-Balah told the AP on Saturday: “Suddenly, I heard a powerful explosion. I looked outside and saw smoke covering the entire area. I couldn’t see a thing. I covered my ears and started shouting to the others in the tent to run. When I looked again, I realized the upper floor of my neighbor’s house was gone. It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place.”

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday night: “Congratulations to the World on the incredible Vote of the United Nations Security Council, just moments ago, acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me, and include the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World. This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, will lead to further Peace all over the World, and is a moment of true Historic proportion! Thank you to the United Nations, and all of the Countries on the U.N. Security Council, China, Russia, France, The United Kingdom, Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, South Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia. Also thank you to those Countries that weren’t on this Committee, but strongly backed the effort, including Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkiye, and Jordan. The members of the Board, and many more exciting announcements, will be made in the coming weeks.”

Photojournalist Abdulruhman Ismail posted footage of the strike aftermath, writing in an X post on Saturday: "Israeli warplanes have struck a home belonging to the Abed family in a densely crowded area of displaced residents west of Deir al-Balah, killing two Palestinians and injuring others. This attack comes at a moment when Israel continues to claim a ceasefire is in place, even as airstrikes persist against residential neighborhoods and displacement zones."