Gaza civil defence officials say 21 people were killed and dozens wounded in multiple Israeli air strikes on Saturday, marking one of the deadliest days since the October 10 ceasefire. Israel says the strikes followed an incident in which an "armed terrorist" crossed the Yellow Line and fired on soldiers; Hamas and Palestinian authorities accuse Israel of violating the truce. Hospitals in central Gaza reported many of the injured were women and children with severe wounds, while UN agencies warn that aid access and border crossings remain limited.
21 Killed in Gaza After Multiple Israeli Air Strikes as Ceasefire Tensions Rise
Gaza's civil defence agency reported that 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in several Israeli air strikes on Saturday, in what officials described as one of the deadliest days since the truce took effect on October 10.
The Israeli military said the strikes followed an incident in southern Gaza in which an "armed terrorist" crossed the so-called Yellow Line — the boundary behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn — and opened fire at Israeli soldiers. It said the strikes targeted what it called "terror targets" in response.
Casualties and hospital reports
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, said the strikes occurred in five separate locations and resulted in "21 martyrs this evening," using the terminology employed by the civil defence. He reported specific incidents including a house struck in Nuseirat, central Gaza, where seven people were killed and more than 16 wounded, and an air strike on an apartment block in the Al-Nasr district west of Gaza City that killed four people and injured several others.
Gaza's health ministry, which is administered by the local authorities, said that as of Thursday some 312 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire since the truce began.
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, medical staff and witnesses described ambulances delivering children and other injured people, many of them with serious wounds to the head and chest. Health ministry spokesman Khalil al-Daqran said "more than 20 injured" were received at the hospital, most of them women and children.
The first strike reported on Saturday struck a vehicle in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of western Gaza City. Bassal said five people were killed and several others wounded; an on-site photographer described passers-by inspecting the burned-out car as children appeared to search for food.
Mutual accusations over ceasefire violations
Israeli officials accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire after the border incident. The prime minister's office said on social media that Hamas had sent a militant into territory held by Israel to attack soldiers and that Israel responded by targeting Hamas operatives.
Hamas described what it called an "escalation" of Israeli actions as attempts to undermine the ceasefire and called on mediators to intervene urgently. The Palestinian foreign ministry, based in the West Bank, condemned the strikes and urged the international community to press Israel to halt the violence.
Humanitarian concerns
The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) warned that plans to scale up aid deliveries under the truce remain constrained by restrictions, including delays in visas and import approvals, and by too few border crossings operating.
At a food distribution point in Khan Yunis, displaced residents described long lines and fierce competition for basic rations. One displaced man said the limited flow of supplies through crossings made the ceasefire feel insufficient to address the immediate humanitarian needs.
The large-scale conflict began after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. According to Gaza health ministry figures, which UN agencies consider a reliable source for casualties inside the territory, the subsequent Israeli military campaign has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
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