At least 12 Palestinians, including many children, were killed in air strikes across Gaza a day before the Rafah crossing was due to reopen. Seven people died in a strike on a tent in al-Mawasi and five in an attack on an apartment block in Remal; eight others were injured in Daraj. Israel said Rafah would reopen with limited movement allowed only for people with Israeli security clearance and no aid permitted. Gaza authorities report 524 deaths since the October 10 ceasefire and more than 71,600 fatalities since October 7, 2023.
Israeli Air Strikes Kill 12 Across Gaza Ahead Of Limited Rafah Reopening
(Al Jazeera)
At least 12 Palestinians — about half of them children — were killed across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, a day before the Rafah crossing with Egypt was due to reopen, medical sources and local authorities said.
Details of the Attacks
Medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli air strike hit a tent sheltering displaced families in the al-Mawasi area northwest of Khan Younis, killing at least seven people, including three children. Their bodies were transferred to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
In Gaza City, emergency services said an air strike on an apartment building in the Remal neighbourhood, to the west of the city, killed at least five Palestinians, three of them children. Separately, an Israeli bombing of an apartment building in the Daraj neighbourhood wounded eight people.
Rafah Reopening And Restrictions
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was scheduled to reopen on Sunday for the first time since May 2024 as part of a United States-brokered ceasefire arrangement. Israel said it would allow only a "limited movement of people" who have received Israeli security clearance to enter and exit, and that aid or humanitarian supplies would not be permitted through the crossing during this opening.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said: "Only those who fled during the past two years are allowed to come back. Those who were born outside the Gaza Strip are not going to be allowed to come back."
Hamas responded to the announcement by calling for movement in and out of Gaza to be allowed "without restrictions" and urged full compliance with all aspects of the ceasefire agreement. Residents in parts of Rafah also reported air attacks in areas under Israeli control on Saturday.
Wider Death Toll
Gaza’s Government Media Office said at least 524 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since a United States-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10. Gaza authorities also report that the wider offensive since October 7, 2023 has resulted in more than 71,600 Palestinian deaths.
Reports are still being collected and verified; figures are provided by local medical sources and Gaza authorities and reflect the information available at the time of reporting.
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