ISRAEL conducted airstrikes across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 24 Palestinians and wounding 54 others, including children, according to health officials in the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office claimed that five senior Hamas members were among those killed.
AP reported on Sunday that the strikes came after reports that gunfire was directed at Israeli troops in southern Gaza. Israel said an “armed terrorist” had crossed into an Israeli-held area and fired at soldiers, describing it as an “extreme violation” of the ceasefire that began on October 10.
No Israeli troops were injured.
One strike hit a vehicle in Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood, killing 11 and wounding more than 20, mostly children, according to Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
“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,” said Khalil Abu Hatab, a resident of Deir al-Balah.
“When I looked again, I realised the upper floor of my neighbour’s house was gone. It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place.”
Other strikes targeted houses near Al-Awda Hospital and in Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah camps, killing at least 13 more people and wounding dozens. Associated Press footage showed children inspecting the remains of a vehicle whose roof had been blown off.
The Israeli military said its forces also killed 11 “terrorists” in the Rafah area and detained six others attempting to flee an underground structure.
Two more were killed after entering Israeli-controlled areas in northern Gaza. Israeli forces still control just over half of Gaza after partial withdrawals under the ceasefire.
Hamas condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of “fabricating pretexts to evade the [ceasefire] agreement and return to the war of extermination.” Izzat al-Rishq, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, said the group had appealed to the U.S. and other mediators to enforce the agreement.
Hamas did not comment on Israel’s claim of senior member casualties.
The conflict, which erupted with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages, has already inflicted severe losses on Gaza.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reports that 69,733 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israeli retaliatory operations. Most casualties are women and children, according to officials.
Meanwhile, Israeli citizens protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, calling for a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7.
“The government of Israel failed in its most important mission: to protect its children, to protect its citizens, not to abandon soldiers on the battlefield without rescue and without assistance,” said Rafi Ben Shitrit, father of Staff Sgt. Shimon Alroy Ben Shitrit, who was killed in the initial Hamas attack.
The latest wave of airstrikes underscores the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the continued volatility of Gaza, highlighting the human toll on civilians and the persistent risk of escalation in the region. - November 23, 2025
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