GAZA STRIP (Dispatches) -- Israeli forces killed at least seven Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, in violation of the ceasefire agreement signed last week.
According to local health officials, six people were killed in Gaza City and one in Khan Younis.
In Gaza City’s eastern Shujaiya neighborhood, at least five people were killed in an aerial attack while inspecting their homes, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
Separately, a drone strike in the town of al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis, killed one person.
The attacks constitute a breach of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Friday, which explicitly stated that “all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment and targeting operations, will be suspended”.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the attacks in Shujaiya, claiming it targeted individuals who had crossed agreed-upon army deployment lines after issuing warning shots. It did not comment on the drone strike in Khan Younis.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the attacks, calling them a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“The Israeli army’s killing of several Gaza residents this morning through shelling and gunfire is a clear breach of the ceasefire,” Qassem said in a statement.
He called on international actors to hold Israel accountable and to ensure it adheres to its commitments made to mediators regarding the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities have resorted to pretexts over the return of four bodies of deceased captives handed over by Hamas on Monday, claiming the move falls short of what had been agreed.
War minister Israel Katz called the transfer “a failure to meet commitments” and warned that any delay would constitute a “gross violation of the agreement.”
Palestinian sources, however, view these statements as an attempt to undermine the Egypt-brokered agreement, deflect attention from Israel’s obligations—such as easing the siege and withdrawing from urban areas—and create justification for stalling the implementation of key ceasefire terms.
So far, Hamas has returned four bodies, while search operations continue to locate the remains of 24 other Israelis. All living captives have been released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
An international committee is currently assisting in efforts to locate and retrieve the remaining bodies.
The ICRC has acknowledged that it will take time to hand over the remains of Israeli captives in Gaza, calling it a “massive challenge” given the difficulties of finding bodies amid the territory’s rubble.
“That’s an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That’s a massive challenge,” the ICRC’s spokesperson Christian Cardon was quoted by Reuters as having said.
“I think that there is clearly a risk that that will take much more time. What are we telling the parties is that that should be their top priority,” he said.
Cardon added that it could take days or weeks and that there was a possibility they were never found.