The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced today that at least 33 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, Beta news agency reports.
The Israeli military said it had hit dozens of Hamas targets across the Palestinian territory, and Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which has been in effect since October 10.
The Israeli military announced that it had carried out airstrikes in southern Gaza, stating that these were in response to Hamas attacks on their positions, which the organization denied.
According to the previous toll, published earlier today by the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, 15 people were killed in Israeli attacks.
According to this information, the areas attacked were Al-Zawaida, in the central part, and Khan Yunis in the south, Beta reported.
The Israeli military told AFP it was verifying the claims, and this morning announced that it had carried out airstrikes in the southern Palestinian territory, saying they were in response to Hamas attacks on its positions, which the movement denied.
She then reported further attacks in the area, saying they were in response to "flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement earlier today."
Given the restrictions on media workers in Gaza and the inability to access the ground, AFP is unable to independently verify reports from different parties.
Israel launches series of attacks on Gaza
Israel carried out a series of strikes on Gaza on Sunday in response to attacks on its forces, the military said, in the latest and most serious test this month of a US-brokered ceasefire.
Gaza residents and local health authorities said Israeli airstrikes and tank fire across the enclave had killed at least 18 people, including at least one woman, Reuters reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to respond forcefully to what he described as ceasefire violations by Hamas.
The military said militants in the southern Rafah area fired an anti-tank rocket and shot at their soldiers.
Hamas' armed wing said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement, that it was unaware of the clashes in Rafah and had not had contact with groups there since March.
The path to peace is uncertain
Fearing the truce could collapse, some Palestinians rushed to buy groceries at the main market in the Nuseirat camp, and families fled their homes in Khan Younis in the south after nearby airstrikes sparked panic, Reuters reported.
The attacks are reminiscent of Israel's response to what it considered serious violations of a ceasefire with Hamas's Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, in late 2024 – a ceasefire agreement that is still largely in effect.
However, serious obstacles remain on the path to lasting peace in Gaza, where a previous ceasefire collapsed in March after nearly two months of relative calm, when Israel carried out heavy air strikes, Reuters writes.
A new ceasefire came into effect on October 11, halting the two-year war, but the Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of violating the agreement for days.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the "yellow line" to which Israeli forces withdrew under the ceasefire agreement would be physically marked, and that any violation of the ceasefire or attempt to cross that line would be met with fire.
Rafah crossing remains closed
Hamas has detailed what it says are a series of violations by Israel, which it says have led to the deaths of 46 people and halted the delivery of basic supplies to the enclave.
On Saturday, Israel said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which was expected to reopen on Sunday, would remain closed, and that its opening would depend on Hamas fulfilling its ceasefire obligations.
Israel claims that Hamas is taking too long to hand over the bodies of the dead hostages. Hamas released all 20 live hostages it was holding last week, and in the following days handed over 12 of the 28 dead prisoners.
The group claims it has no interest in keeping the bodies of the remaining hostages and that special equipment is needed to extract the bodies from under the rubble.
The Rafah crossing has been largely closed since May 2024. The ceasefire agreement also includes an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, where, according to the IPC's global monitoring in August, hundreds of thousands of people are affected by hunger.
The crossing was a key channel for the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave in previous ceasefires.
Although the flow of aid through the second border crossing has increased significantly since the ceasefire came into effect, the United Nations (UN) says far more aid is needed.
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