Israeli jets and tanks hit areas in eastern Gaza, Palestinian residents and witnesses said, a day after Israel reaffirmed its commitment to a US-backed ceasefire, reports „Reuters“, quoted by News.bg.
Witnesses said Israeli jets carried out 10 airstrikes in areas east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while tanks shelled areas east of Gaza City in the north. There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
The Israeli military said it had carried out „precision strikes against terrorist infrastructure that posed a threat to troops“ in areas still under Israeli control.
Thursday's strikes are the latest test of a fragile ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 after the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated. Witnesses in Gaza said no strikes were seen outside the Israeli-controlled area.
From Tuesday to Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with airstrikes that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women. Israel says the soldier was killed in an attack by gunmen inside the so-called “yellow line”, where its troops had withdrawn under the ceasefire, a charge Hamas has denied.
The Israeli military has published a list of 26 fighters it says were targeted in the bombing, including a Hamas commander who took part in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.
The media arm of the Hamas-run Gaza government said Israel's list was part of a “systematic disinformation campaign” to cover up “crimes against civilians in Gaza“.
Sources close to international efforts to maintain the ceasefire said the US and regional mediators quickly intervened to restore calm as Israel and Hamas traded blame.