Israeli forces launched intense airstrikes across Gaza on Saturday, resulting in 27 deaths, including three children, as attacks targeted a police station, residential buildings, and displacement tents. Palestinian health officials confirmed the casualties, noting strikes in multiple locations throughout the territory.
Targets and Immediate Impact
The Israeli military conducted the operations against commanders and facilities linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, describing them as retaliation for a ceasefire violation. This US-brokered truce, established last October after two years of fighting, governs areas where Hamas controls nearly half of Gaza. Hamas officials accused Israel of breaching the agreement first, though they offered no details on whether their personnel or sites were affected.
One major strike hit the Sheikh Radwan police station west of Gaza City, killing ten officers and detainees, according to Gaza medics and local police. Rescue teams continue searching the rubble for additional victims. Separate airstrikes demolished at least two homes in northern-central Gaza City and a tent shelter for displaced families in southern Khan Younis, local authorities reported.
Video from the scene in Gaza City shows severe damage to an apartment building, with blackened walls, scattered debris inside rooms, and wreckage blocking streets outside.
Human Toll and Eyewitness Accounts
Among the victims were three young girls whose uncle, Samer al-Atbash, expressed profound grief: “We found my three little nieces in the street. They say ‘ceasefire’ and all. What did those children do? What did we do?”
The strikes unfolded just one day before the Rafah border crossing with Egypt plans to reopen under a US-supported initiative to conclude the war that has ravaged Gaza. The conflict erupted following a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli leaders warn that fighting may resume if Hamas refuses to disarm.
Military Response and Ceasefire Challenges
Israeli forces explained that the airstrikes also neutralized weapon storage and production sites. They cited a Friday incident in Rafah, southern Gaza, where troops spotted eight gunmen exiting a tunnel in a zone under Israeli deployment per the truce. Forces eliminated three gunmen and captured a fourth, identified as a local Hamas commander. Hamas provided no response to the event.
Dozens of Hamas fighters remain in Rafah tunnels since the ceasefire began, with some perishing in subsequent clashes. The agreement has faced ongoing disruptions, including Israeli fire that has killed over 500 people—mostly civilians—per Gaza health data, and Palestinian militant actions that claimed four Israeli soldiers, according to military reports.
Both parties trade blame for truce breaches as the US urges progress toward later stages of the deal. These include Hamas disarmament—a condition the group rejects—full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and introduction of an international peacekeeping presence. Hamas seeks to incorporate its 10,000 police into a new US-backed Palestinian governance structure for Gaza, a proposal certain to encounter Israeli resistance.
