Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza in new ceasefire violation
Hamas urges mediators to halt Israeli violations of ceasefire deal
ISTANBUL
The Israeli army killed two Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip late Tuesday, according to the military, marking a new violation of a ceasefire deal in place since October.
A military statement said Israeli surveillance systems detected six Palestinians west of Rafah, near troop positions deployed in southern Gaza.
The army said tanks were dispatched to the area and opened fire, prompting return fire toward one of the armored vehicles and triggering a brief exchange that also included airstrikes.
The Hebrew daily, Israel Hayom, reported that two Israeli soldiers sustained light injuries during the clashes.
Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians in the enclave since the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on Oct. 10.
The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, denounced the Israeli attacks as a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
The group urged mediators and guarantor countries to condemn “the repeated Israeli violations,” accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of overseeing the attacks under “false and fabricated pretexts.”
Hamas also urged pressure on Israel to halt the violations, adhere to the ceasefire terms, reopen the Rafah crossing in both directions, allow the entry of humanitarian aid and shelter supplies, and immediately proceed to the second phase of the agreement.
The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 victims, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that has left Gaza in ruins.
