GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Israeli army carried out airstrikes and artillery shelling across various parts of the Gaza Strip early Sunday, despite a ceasefire agreement in force.

Israeli warplanes targeted eastern areas of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

Israeli military vehicles also opened fire on the eastern areas of Khan Younis in the south, while naval forces fired toward the city’s coastline, according to the witnesses.

In Gaza City, Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on eastern areas, accompanied by sporadic artillery shelling on the same locations, eyewitnesses said.

A US-backed ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since Oct. 10, halting Israel’s two-year offensive that has killed more than 72,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

Despite the truce, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations through shelling and gunfire, killing 612 Palestinians and injuring 1,640 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

* Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.