CAIRO: At least 20 Palestinians lost their lives and around 50 others were injured as Israeli air raids pounded various parts of Gaza — marking the deadliest escalation since a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Hamas accused Israel of breaking the truce and, in retaliation, delayed the planned return of an Israeli captive’s body.
The renewed strikes followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s directive for “strong and decisive” military action after an exchange of fire in southern Rafah that left an Israeli soldier wounded.
Medical officials reported that four people were killed in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood when a residential building was hit, while five others died in Khan Younis. Strikes near al-Shifa Hospital triggered panic among medical staff and patients as explosions rocked the area.
Rescue worker Ibrahim Abu Reesh described the aftermath as “complete chaos,” saying teams were digging through debris with their hands to find survivors. “This is a clear violation of the ceasefire,” he said.
Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Israel’s latest actions had violated the truce and announced a delay in the handover of a captive’s remains. The group cautioned that continued attacks would obstruct efforts to locate the remaining 13 Israeli captives believed to be trapped under rubble in Gaza.
The Qassam Brigades earlier claimed to have recovered the bodies of two Israeli captives — Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch — though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu later said those remains did not belong to the 13 captives still unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, in Washington, US Vice President JD Vance insisted that the ceasefire “remains in effect,” despite reports of renewed hostilities. “There may be sporadic clashes, but the president’s peace will hold,” he remarked.
US officials told Al Jazeera that Washington had been notified prior to Israel’s latest strikes, noting that efforts to recover the captives’ remains remain “slow and extremely challenging” amid the widespread destruction across Gaza.
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