Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 14 people and wounded several others in a further test of a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Witnesses and medics said the first attack hit a car in the densely populated Rimal neighbourhood, setting it ablaze. It was not immediately clear whether the five dead were passengers of the car or included passersby. Dozens of people rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue the victims.
Shortly after the attack on the car, the Israeli air force carried out two separate airstrikes on two houses in Deir Al-Balah city and Nuseirat camp, in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least five people and wounding several others, medics said.
Later, a new Israeli airstrike on a house in western Gaza City killed at least four Palestinians and wounded others, medics said, taking today’s death toll to at least 14.
Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 316 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce.The Israeli military said a gunman had crossed into Israeli-held territory in Gaza and exploited “the humanitarian road in the area through which humanitarian aid enters southern Gaza”, calling it a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
The military said it was striking targets in Gaza in response.
Hamas said in a statement earlier in the day that Israel’s “escalating violations” put a responsibility on mediators and the United States to confront it and preserve the ceasefire.
The October 10 ceasefire in the two-year Gaza conflict has eased the conflict, enabling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza’s ruins.
Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased .
