Israel Carries Out New Strikes In Gaza After Asserting Commitment To Ceasefire
CAIRO, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Israeli planes and tanks struck areas in eastern Gaza on Thursday, Palestinian citizens and witnesses said, a day after Israel said it was adhering to a U.S.-backed ceasefire even as it launched more lethal bombardments in the region.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli planes carried out 10 air strikes on the areas east of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, while tanks bombed the east of Gaza City in the north. No injuries or deaths were reported.
The Israeli army said it had carried out “decisive” strikes against “terrorist infrastructure that poses a threat to troops” in areas still occupied by Israel.
Thursday’s attacks were the latest test of the fragile ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on October 10.
Eyewitnesses in Gaza said they did not see any attacks outside Israeli-controlled territory.
From Tuesday to Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with bombardments that Gaza health officials said killed 104 people.
AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun
Israel said the soldier was killed in an attack by gunmen on the territory in the so-called “yellow line” from which its soldiers withdrew as part of the ceasefire. Hamas denied the accusation.
The Israeli military released a list of 26 militants it said it targeted during the bombardment earlier this week; One of them was stated to be a Hamas commander who participated in the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war.
The media office of the Hamas-run Gaza government said Israel’s list was part of a “systematic disinformation campaign” to cover up “crimes against civilians in Gaza.”
Gaza Ministry of Health said that 46 children and 20 women were among the 104 people killed in the airstrikes.
Sources close to international efforts to maintain the ceasefire said US and regional mediators quickly intervened to restore calm as Israel and Hamas exchanged blame.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Pesha Magid in Jerusalem; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
