Israeli Strikes Kill 50 in Gaza Including 22 Children, Threatening US-Brokered Ceasefire Agreement

Around 200 people suffered injuries in the recent Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Palestinian Territories:

According to Gaza's civil defence agency, dozens of Israeli overnight strikes claimed at least 50 lives in the Palestinian territory, as reported to AFP on Wednesday. This occurred shortly after US President Donald Trump stated that "nothing" would compromise the ceasefire agreement he helped negotiate.

Among the deceased were 22 children, along with women and elderly individuals, while approximately 200 people sustained injuries.

Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the civil defence, characterized Gaza's situation as "catastrophic and terrifying," describing the strikes as "a clear and flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement."

"The Israeli strikes targeted tents housing displaced people, homes, and areas surrounding a hospital in the Strip," he informed AFP.

Israel initiated airstrikes on Tuesday after accusing Hamas of attacking Israeli forces in Gaza and breaching the truce.

Though Israel did not specify where its troops were attacked, Hamas denied involvement, stating its fighters had "no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah" and reaffirmed its commitment to the US-brokered ceasefire.

The Israeli military announced Wednesday that one soldier, 37-year-old Yona Efraim Feldbaum, was killed "during combat in the southern Gaza Strip" the previous day, and his family had been notified.

Trump defended Israel's response on Wednesday, asserting they "should hit back," but added that "nothing's going to jeopardise" the truce.

"They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back. And they should hit back," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during his Asian tour.

US Vice President JD Vance earlier maintained that the ceasefire remained intact despite the "skirmishes".

Gaza's main Al-Shifa hospital reported that one strike hit its backyard. Al-Awda Hospital received several bodies, including four children killed in bombings targeting Gaza's central Nuseirat refugee camp.

Hamas announced postponement of a planned hostage body return, originally scheduled for Tuesday, claiming Israeli "escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies".

Hamas had taken 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict.

A dispute regarding the remaining bodies of deceased hostages has threatened to undermine the ceasefire agreement.

Israel accuses Hamas of reneging on its commitments by not returning these remains, while Hamas contends it needs time to locate bodies buried in Gaza's war-ravaged landscape.

Later, Hamas announced via Telegram it had located two hostage bodies on Tuesday but did not indicate when they would be transferred.

Hamas faced increasing pressure Monday after returning partial remains of a previously recovered captive, which Israel deemed a violation of the truce.

Hamas had stated these remains were the 16th of 28 hostage bodies agreed for return under the ceasefire arrangement that took effect October 10.

However, Israeli forensic examination determined Hamas had provided partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been returned to Israel approximately two years earlier, according to Netanyahu's office.

Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian accused Hamas of staging the remains' discovery.

"Hamas dug a hole in the ground yesterday, placed the partial remains... inside of it, covered it back up with dirt, and handed it over to the Red Cross," she told journalists.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged decisive government action against these "violations" and accused Hamas of knowing the missing hostages' locations.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem rejected claims that the group knows where the remaining bodies are, arguing that Israel's bombardment during the two-year war had rendered locations unrecognizable.

"The movement (Hamas) is determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible once they are located," he told AFP.

Hamas has already returned all 20 living hostages as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

The October 2023 Hamas attack resulted in 1,221 deaths on the Israeli side, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza killed at least 68,531 people, based on figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.

Despite the ceasefire, casualties continue to increase as more bodies are recovered from beneath rubble.

In Gaza, 60-year-old Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed told AFP he feared the war would resume.

"Now they accuse Hamas of stalling, and that is a pretext for renewed escalation and war," he said.

"We want to rest. I believe the war will come back."