( IMEMC ) – Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening, killing at least 21 Palestinians, including eight children, and injuring several others. The attacks mark a renewed breach of the ceasefire agreement and have intensified fears of a broader military escalation.
The Middle East Monitor reported that the United Nations expressed extreme concern about reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli army to execute “powerful strikes” on Gaza:
- “I just saw the press reports as you came in. I can tell you that those reports are extremely concerning,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference, adding that he is unaware whether UN staff on the ground was pre-warned.
“We don’t want the situation to be set back. It is important that all of the parties involved in the ceasefire adhere to the ceasefire. We don’t want civilians to be bombed again. We don’t want our operations to be railed again,” he stressed. ( CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
IMEMC continues: According to medical sources and field reports, the casualties occurred in multiple locations:
- Sabra neighborhood (Gaza City): Four killed, four injured—including a child and an infant—after a strike on the al-Banna family home.
- Nuseirat refugee camp: One killed, several injured in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced civilians; among the victims were slain siblings Batoul and Mohammad Aqel.
- Gaza City: Four killed when a civilian vehicle was bombed, igniting nearby olive trees and damaging farmland.
- Khan Younis: Five killed in a missile strike on a car; additional injuries reported in the Al-Qadisiya camp in al-Mawasi, where tents housing displaced families were bombed.
- Other targeted areas: Shati refugee camp, Abu Hasira Street, Zeitoun neighborhood, Deir al-Balah, and artillery shelling east of Deir al-Balah.
Reconnaissance drones also fired missiles near the al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, with one projectile landing in an empty courtyard. No casualties were reported in that incident.
Separately, Israeli forces wired and detonated several homes and buildings in parts of Gaza City.
The escalation followed a public directive from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered the military to launch immediate and forceful strikes on Gaza.
The renewed bombardment has raised alarm among residents and humanitarian organizations, who warn that the ceasefire is rapidly unraveling.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued a statement Tuesday evening denying any involvement in a recent shooting incident in Rafah and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh under U.S. sponsorship.
Hamas condemned the Israeli airstrikes as a flagrant violation of the truce, describing them as “criminal attacks” that undermine the agreement brokered by President Donald Trump.
The movement stated that the latest assault is part of a broader pattern of violations, including deadly strikes, injuries, and the continued closure of the Rafah crossing.
Hamas accused Israel of deliberately sabotaging the ceasefire and called on international mediators to intervene and pressure Israel to halt its aggression and uphold the terms of the agreement.
Earlier Tuesday, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that Israeli forces had committed more than 125 violations of the ceasefire since it took effect. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of 94 Palestinian civilians and injuries to 344 others.
Documented violations include 52 incidents of live fire targeting civilians, nine incursions by armored vehicles into residential areas, 55 aerial and ground attacks, and 11 demolitions of civilian buildings. Additionally, 21 Palestinians have been detained across the Gaza Strip.
The media office emphasized the urgent need to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow the transfer of thousands of wounded and sick individuals for treatment abroad. It also called for the delivery of shelter materials—including tents, tarpaulins, and plastic sheeting—as winter approaches, to prevent further deterioration of living conditions for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
Al Jazeera English: “Israel kills 20 in Gaza attacks, Hamas delays handover of captive’s remains”
Israel kills 20 in Gaza attacks, Hamas delays handover of captive’s remains
Separately, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced late Tuesday night that its fighters had successfully recovered the bodies of two Israeli captives—Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch—during search operations conducted earlier that day. The recovery reportedly took place within tunnel networks in the Gaza Strip.
“Gaza 63,” Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3, 2025
This development follows an earlier announcement by the Brigades that they had located the body of another Israeli captive, whose handover was postponed due to what the group described as Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Al-Qassam emphasized that continued breaches by Israeli forces are obstructing humanitarian efforts to locate and retrieve remains. The group warned that such violations jeopardize the progress of prisoner exchange arrangements and delay the return of Israeli remains.
The handover, originally scheduled for 8 p.m. local time as part of the “Flood of the Free” prisoner exchange framework, was postponed due to ongoing Israeli violations.
Al-Qassam warned that continued military escalation would obstruct search and excavation efforts, delaying the recovery and return of remains.
Hamas also accused Israel of systematically blocking efforts to locate the bodies of its soldiers inside Gaza, including denying access to joint teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian resistance groups.
Furthermore, Hamas stated that Israel has prevented the entry of heavy machinery needed to accelerate search operations. This obstruction has also hindered the retrieval of slain Palestinians still buried under rubble, compounding the suffering of their families.
The cumulative death toll in Gaza since October 2023 has now surpassed 68,677, including over 20,000 children and 12,500 women, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and reports from Al Jazeera. More than 170,382 Palestinians have been injured,. The conflict has also claimed the lives of at least 224 humanitarian workers—179 of them UNRWA staff—and 217 journalists
Via IMEMC
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attr-NonCom 4.0 International License.. The IMEMC article has been bolstered with quotes from the Middle East Monitor, also licensed under a Creative Commons Attr-NonCom 4.0 International License..
© 2025 All Rights Reserved