Gaza authorities report at least 497 breaches of the US-brokered ceasefire since it began on 10 October, saying hundreds have been killed, including 342 civilians. Officials reported 27 violations on a single day, causing 24 deaths and 87 injuries, and accused Israel of restricting aid. Israel says recent strikes were in response to an attack on its soldiers and that five senior Hamas members were killed. Hamas and mediators are under pressure to clarify claims and restore the terms of the truce.
Gaza officials: 497 alleged ceasefire breaches in 44 days leave hundreds dead
The Gaza Government Media Office says Israel has committed at least 497 violations of the United States-brokered ceasefire in Gaza over 44 days, causing hundreds of deaths since the truce took effect on 10 October.
According to the office, roughly 342 of those killed were civilians, with children, women and the elderly making up the majority of victims.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the continued serious and systematic violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Israeli occupation authorities,” the Gaza office said, calling the attacks a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and of the humanitarian protocol attached to the agreement.
The office added that 27 of the reported violations occurred on Saturday alone, resulting in 24 deaths and 87 wounded, and said Israel bears full responsibility for the humanitarian and security consequences of these actions.
Gaza officials also accused Israel of continuing to severely restrict the free flow of desperately needed aid and medical supplies into the enclave, contrary to the terms of the ceasefire.
Palestinian authorities said Israel’s military launched a wave of air strikes across Gaza on Saturday that killed at least 24 people, including children. Israel’s government said it carried out the strikes after a Hamas fighter allegedly attacked Israeli soldiers inside Gaza, in territory Israel describes as inside the so-called "yellow line"; it also said five senior Hamas figures were eliminated in the operation.
Hamas demanded that Israel identify the fighter it says attacked Israeli forces. Izzat al-Risheq, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, urged mediators and the US administration to press Israel to substantiate its claim and implement the agreement.
“Israel is fabricating pretexts to evade the agreement and return to a war of extermination,” al-Risheq said, accusing Israel of daily and systematic violations and dismissing reports that Hamas had ended the truce.
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Gaza City, described the arrangement as effectively “a ceasefire in name,” saying that despite the announced pause Israeli forces carried out a series of air strikes that have left Palestinians with a shattered sense of safety.
Local authorities say dozens of Palestinian families are besieged in northern Gaza as Israeli forces have repositioned deeper into the enclave, which they say violates the ceasefire terms. Under the deal the so-called "yellow line" is an unmarked boundary where Israeli troops repositioned when the agreement took effect; critics say Israel’s posture there has allowed it to retain control over more than half of the coastal territory and to continue firing on Palestinians who approach the line.
Hamas has accused Israel of breaching the truce “under fabricated pretexts” and has called on mediators — the US, Egypt and Qatar — to intervene immediately to enforce the agreement and ensure humanitarian access.
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