At least 25 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It was one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire began five weeks ago.
Rescue teams reported that 10 people died when a Ministry of Religious Endowments building in the eastern Zeitoun area of Gaza City was hit. Photos from the scene showed extensive damage, with several victims — including young children — recovered from the rubble.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it launched the strikes after “Hamas terrorists opened fire” toward Israeli troops operating in Khan Younis, claiming the gunfire violated the ceasefire agreement. No Israeli casualties were reported.
Hamas rejected Israel’s account, calling the strikes a “dangerous escalation” that threatens the fragile truce. Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defence, told the BBC that Israeli air, drone, and artillery attacks hit multiple locations in Gaza City and Khan Younis shortly after sunset, ending several days of relative calm.
In addition to the Zeitoun incident, one person was killed and several wounded when a drone struck civilians near Shejaiya junction on Salah al-Din Street — Gaza’s main north-south road. Another person reportedly died when a tank shell hit a home in the same neighbourhood.
Civil Defence officials said 13 of the day’s casualties occurred in Khan Younis, including three people killed inside a sports club run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Israeli media reported that the strikes targeted senior Hamas commanders, including the leaders of the Zeitoun Battalion and the group’s naval forces.
Hamas condemned the attacks and urged the United States to pressure Israel to uphold the ceasefire. A U.S. official, however, told Reuters that Hamas was seeking to disrupt the truce by refusing to disarm as agreed.
The escalation comes two days after the UN Security Council approved a resolution supporting the ceasefire and establishing a transitional governance body — the Board of Peace, chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump — as well as an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to oversee demilitarisation efforts in Gaza.
Hamas reiterated that it would not surrender its weapons without the establishment of a Palestinian state, calling its armed efforts “legitimate resistance.” Israel, meanwhile, insisted it would continue working to eliminate any threat posed by Hamas.
Since Israel launched its offensive following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, Gaza’s health ministry says more than 69,500 Palestinians have been killed, including 280 since the ceasefire began. Israel says three soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the truce took effect and that dozens of militants have been targeted.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli military also struck multiple locations in southern Lebanon, saying it targeted Hezbollah weapons storage sites amid rising tensions with the Iran-backed group.
