Israel carried out strikes in central Gaza, early Tuesday, killing at least 20 people, according to statement from Gaza rescuers.
“The death toll has reached over 20 martyrs and about 70 wounded as a result of a series of Israeli raids on areas of the Gaza Strip,” agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP.
The reason was the attack was given as ‘Hamas‘s repeated refusal to release our hostages’, according to Israel. Amid the attacks, it also announced closure of schools in the Gaza strip.
Israel hit areas around the urban refugee camp of Bureij, as per earlier reports. One of the strikes targeted a school serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians, killing a 52-year-old man and his 16-year-old nephew, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Another strike killed three men in Bureij, with the Israeli military stating they were attempting to plant an explosive device, while Gaza’s Hamas-led government said they were collecting firewood. The Israeli military said its operations targeted militants planting explosives.
In addition to the attacks in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes also hit targets in southern Lebanon and Syria, killing at least 10 people, including a child, according to local authorities. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted militants plotting attacks. The escalation came amid fragile ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.
Soon after the attacks were reported by local authorities, Israeli army, in a post on Telegram, confirmed it was currently “conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip,” as reported by AFP.
Before the recent attacks, Israel has blocked all food, medicine, fuel, and other supplies for the past two weeks, demanding Hamas accept modifications to their ceasefire deal. The current truce, in effect since mid-January, has seen Israeli forces kill dozens of Palestinians whom the military says approached its troops or entered restricted areas.
The strikes have been launched despite a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in place since late November, ending a 14-month conflict. However, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.
Despite ongoing violence, the ceasefire’s first phase has held, allowing the exchange of some hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are working on the next phase of the agreement. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in exchange for negotiations on a lasting truce, while Hamas insists on following the original ceasefire terms, which call for talks on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Hamas is believed to be holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
Attacks in Syria and Lebanon
In Syria, airstrikes hit a residential area in the southern city of Daraa, killing three people and injuring 19 others, including four children, a woman, and three civil defense volunteers, according to the Syrian civil defense agency. The agency reported that two ambulances were also damaged. Other strikes hit military positions near the city. The Israeli military stated it targeted military command centers and sites containing weapons and vehicles belonging to Assad’s forces, citing security threats.
Israel has controlled a zone in southern Syria since the fall of longtime autocrat Bashar Assad in December. The Israeli government describes its presence as a preemptive security measure against former Islamist insurgents now in power, though Syria’s transitional government has not made threats against Israel.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, Israel said it struck two Hezbollah militants in the southern town of Yohmor, identifying them as “observation operatives.” Lebanon’s state news agency reported that two people were killed and two others wounded. The Israeli military later confirmed further strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon but did not specify their locations.
