342 Gazans killed in Israeli violations since ceasefire: Authorities

ISTANBUL

The Israeli army has carried out 497 violations of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip since it took effect, killing 342 victims and wounding 875, the Gaza Government Media Office said Saturday.

It accused Israel of systematically undermining the agreement through lethal attacks and repeated incursions.

The office said 27 violations were recorded Saturday, resulting in 24 deaths and 87 injuries. It called the pattern a “flagrant breach” of international humanitarian law and the humanitarian protocol attached to the ceasefire deal.

The Israeli violations since Oct. 10 include 142 shootings targeting civilians, homes and displacement tents; 21 ground incursions beyond the “yellow line”; 228 air, artillery and ground strikes; and 100 demolitions of civilian homes and structures, which it said amounts to “collective punishment” and an effort to widen destruction.

The office said 35 Palestinians have also been detained in raids and incursions, as it accused Israel of trying to “create a bloody new reality that threatens security and stability in the Gaza Strip.”

The Gaza Civil Defense said earlier that at least 22 Palestinians were killed Saturday in Israeli airstrikes that hit homes and a vehicle in several areas of Gaza, in a new violation of the ceasefire.

Israel continues to occupy more than 50% of Gaza under the ceasefire agreement, with the “yellow line” separating areas under army deployment from those inhabited by Palestinians.

The Israeli army recently re-escalated attacks east of the yellow line, destroying vast areas and rendering nearby zones highly hazardous to civilians.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed nearly 70,000 victims in Gaza, primarily women and children, injured more than 170,800, and reduced the enclave to rubble. The onslaught came to a halt under a US President Donald Trump ceasefire deal.