Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 104, rescuers say, after Hamas accused of killing soldier

BBC:

More than 104 Palestinians were killed in a wave of Israeli strikes in Gaza on Tuesday night, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and hospitals say.

The Israeli military said it struck “dozens of terror targets and terrorists” in response to violations by Hamas of the US-brokered ceasefire deal.

Israel’s defence minister accused Hamas of an attack in Gaza that killed an Israeli soldier, and of breaching the terms on returning deceased hostages’ bodies. Hamas said it had “no connection” to the attack and was committed to the deal.

US President Donald Trump maintained “nothing” would jeopardise the ceasefire, but added that Israel should “hit back” when its soldiers were targeted.

The Israeli strikes hit homes, schools and residential blocks in Gaza City and Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, Bureij and Nuseirat in the centre, and Khan Younis in the south.

Witnesses in Gaza City described seeing “pillars of fire and smoke” rising into the air as explosions shook several residential areas.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said in a statement that around 30 children were among the more than 90 people who were killed across the territory.

“Teams are still working tirelessly to reach those trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded and critically injured amid tragic conditions and a severe lack of medical supplies and fuel,” he warned.

Three women and a man who were pulled from the rubble of the al-Banna family’s home in the southern Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, the Civil Defence said.

In the urban Bureij refugee camp, five members of the Abu Sharar family were killed in a strike on their home in the Block 7 area, it added.

Another five people were killed when aircraft targeted a vehicle on a road north-west of Khan Younis, according to the agency.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday morning that it had “begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” after carrying out a series of strikes on what it described as “dozens of terror targets and terrorists”, including at least 30 commanders of armed groups.

“The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it,” it added.

A brief statement put out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday evening said he had ordered the IDF to carry out “forceful strikes” on Gaza but did not specify his reasons.

However, his defence minister said Hamas had crossed “a bright red line” by launching an attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza on Tuesday.

“Hamas will pay many times over for attacking the soldiers and for violating the agreement to return the fallen hostages,” Israel Katz warned.

On Wednesday morning, the IDF announced that a reservist soldier, Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, was killed.

A military source said the attack took place in the southern city of Rafah “east of the Yellow Line”, which demarcates Israeli-controlled territory inside Gaza under the ceasefire deal.

Sgt Feldbaum was killed when one of the vehicles of an IDF engineering team that was dismantling an underground tunnel route in Rafah was hit by fire from “terrorists in the area”, according to the source.

“A few minutes later, several anti-tank missiles were fired at another armoured vehicle belonging to the troops in the area. No injuries were reported,” they added.