GAZA CITY — Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Saturday killed at least 23 Palestinians, including women and children, marking one of the deadliest days since the October ceasefire aimed at halting fighting in the territory.
Hospitals said some of the dead were civilians from two separate families, including six children and two women. Shifa Hospital reported that an apartment building strike in Gaza City killed three children, their aunt, and grandmother. Another strike on a police station in the same city killed at least 11 people, including officers and detainees, according to Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya.
Nasser Hospital said a strike on a tent camp in Khan Younis caused a fire that killed seven people, including a father, three children, and three grandchildren.
Hamas called the attacks “a renewed flagrant violation” of the ceasefire and urged the United States and other mediators to pressure Israel to halt the strikes.
An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were in response to alleged ceasefire violations the previous day. The military has previously stated that its operations since the October agreement have targeted incidents it says violated the ceasefire. On Friday, Israel said it killed three militants exiting a tunnel in an Israeli-controlled zone in Rafah.
The strikes occurred a day before the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt is scheduled to partially reopen. All Gaza border crossings have been largely closed during the conflict, and Palestinians rely on Rafah as a critical route for medical treatment and supplies.
Since the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10, Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported 509 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
