The Media Line: Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill at Least 24, Shake Trump-Backed Ceasefire 

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill at Least 24, Shake Trump-Backed Ceasefire 

By The Media Line Staff 

Israeli warplanes struck multiple sites across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least two dozen Palestinians in one of the deadliest days since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect, after the army said its troops came under fire from Hamas gunmen. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the raids were launched in response to Hamas operatives shooting at soldiers inside IDF-controlled territory along the so-called Yellow Line in southern Gaza. 

Palestinian health officials reported at least 24–25 dead and dozens wounded in a series of strikes that hit Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya and Zeitoun districts as well as Khan Yunis in the south. Targets included a building belonging to the Islamic religious endowments in Zeitoun and a UN-run facility in Khan Yunis that was sheltering displaced families, according to local authorities. No Israeli soldiers were reported injured. 

The flare-up is the most serious challenge yet to the ceasefire that began on October 10, the first phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for post-war Gaza. The truce has allowed Israel to pull back forces from urban centers and enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to devastated neighborhoods, while aid deliveries have increased. Yet Palestinian officials say Israeli strikes since the deal took effect have killed more than 300 people, and Israel says three of its soldiers have died, as both sides trade accusations of violations. 

Washington signaled support for Israel’s position. “After the United Nations overwhelmingly endorsed President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, Hamas is clearly lashing out and is now attempting to break the ceasefire and not fulfill their commitment to demilitarize and surrender control of the Gaza government. These desperate tactics will fail,” a US official said. 

Hamas condemned the attacks as an effort to torpedo the truce. “We consider this a dangerous escalation through which the war criminal [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu seeks to resume the genocide against our people,” the group said, urging mediators and the US to “honor its stated commitments and exert immediate pressure on Israel to enforce the ceasefire and halt its attacks.”