Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli air and ground strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 25 Palestinians on Wednesday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, marking one of the deadliest days since a fragile ceasefire took effect five weeks ago. The escalation unfolded only days after the UN Security Council endorsed a US-backed plan intended to solidify the truce and lay the groundwork for Gaza’s long-term political future.
Rescue workers in Gaza said the dead included ten people killed when a strike levelled a building belonging to the ministry of religious endowments in the eastern Zeitoun district of Gaza City. Gaza’s Civil Defence, also run by Hamas, reported extensive destruction to the ministry compound and residential structures nearby. Video released by the agency showed emergency teams searching through rubble and uncovering bodies, while images published by Anadolu news agency documented three children among the dead.
Additional strikes followed in several parts of Gaza City and in Khan Younis shortly after sunset. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said an Israeli drone targeted a group of people at the busy Shejaiya junction along Salah al-Din Street, killing one person and injuring several others. In Shejaiya’s Mushtaha Street, a tank shell reportedly struck a home belonging to the Balboul family, killing one more person.
In the Khan Younis area, authorities reported 13 fatalities. Three of those deaths occurred inside a sports club operated by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after what rescuers described as a strike on a gathering inside the facility.
The Israel Defense Forces said the attacks were launched in response to gunfire aimed at its soldiers operating in Khan Younis earlier in the day. According to the military, the shooting constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement, although no Israeli troops were injured. The IDF said it then targeted Hamas positions across Gaza, and Israeli broadcaster Kan cited security sources claiming the strikes were aimed at senior Hamas militants, including commanders of the Zeitoun Battalion and the movement’s naval forces.
Hamas disputed Israel’s account, insisting that no violation had occurred. In a statement, it denounced the strikes as a dangerous escalation and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to reignite the war. The group called on the United States to intervene and pressure Israel to uphold the ceasefire, while simultaneously reiterating that it would not surrender its weapons without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
A US official, speaking to Reuters, offered a starkly different interpretation, saying that Hamas sought to disrupt the ceasefire rather than comply with the demand to disarm.
The resurgence of violence came just two days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution aimed at reinforcing the ceasefire that has been in effect since 10 October. The resolution authorises the creation of a transitional governance body known as the Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump, and mandates a temporary International Stabilisation Force tasked with overseeing Gaza’s demilitarisation process. Trump hailed the move as a pivotal moment, while Israel’s ambassador to the UN emphasised that disarmament of Hamas remained non-negotiable.
The broader conflict began after the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted. Israel launched a sweeping military campaign in Gaza in response, resulting in at least 69,500 Palestinian deaths to date, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Despite the ceasefire, the ministry reports that 280 Palestinians have been killed during the pause, while Israel says three of its soldiers have died in attacks since the truce began, with scores of militants targeted in precision operations.
In a separate development on Wednesday afternoon, Israel conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon, stating it had hit Hezbollah weapons storage sites. Israel accuses the Iran-backed group of attempting to rebuild military capabilities following the conflict that ended last November, raising concerns that the Gaza escalation could again widen into a broader regional confrontation.
As night fell over Gaza, emergency crews continued working through debris, and diplomatic envoys reiterated calls to preserve the ceasefire. Yet with tensions rising on multiple fronts and both sides trading accusations of violations, the stability of the truce appeared increasingly uncertain.
