Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli artillery strike on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, Gaza's civil defense said, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, reported Xinhua.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense, said Israeli forces targeted a group of Palestinians in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah. He confirmed two deaths and several injuries, with the wounded taken to a local hospital.
Palestinian security sources told Xinhua the strike hit an area designated as a safe zone under the ceasefire terms, which had allowed residents to return.
The Israeli military has not commented on the incident. It is the latest reported breach of the truce, following previous claims of Israeli actions in Gaza.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said in a statement it had engaged armed suspects in Gaza, citing perceived threats to its troops. It said it had "neutralized" Akram Zanon, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, and claimed to have responded to individuals approaching military positions in multiple locations.
Also in the statement, the Israeli military reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire but stressed its readiness for further developments and urged Palestinian civilians to avoid military zones and follow safety instructions.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, took effect on Sunday. The deal outlines a phased roadmap to de-escalation. In the first 42-day phase, Hamas is required to release 33 Israeli hostages, while Israel is to free over 1,890 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Meanwhile, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military operation in Burqin, a town west of Jenin city in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday.
The ministry identified the victims as 30-year-old Qutaiba Shalabi and 25-year-old Mohammed Nazzal.
Palestinian sources in Jenin said that Israeli forces surrounded a house in Burqin on Wednesday night, using loudspeakers to demand those inside surrender.
The forces fired several portable rockets at the house before demolishing it with a bulldozer, the sources added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a press statement that, during its operation together with the Shin Bet security agency, its forces killed two "members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement" who were involved in an attack on Jan. 6 in the village of Al Funduq, east of the West Bank city of Qalqilya, "which killed three Israelis and wounded six others."
The Israeli forces also arrested several individuals allegedly linked to the attack, it said, adding that an Israeli soldier sustained moderate injuries during the operation and was taken to hospital for treatment.
For the third consecutive day, the Israeli army has been conducting a large-scale military operation dubbed "Iron Wall" in Jenin and its surrounding refugee camp.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the operation aims to "eradicate terrorism" in Jenin and claimed Iran is behind anti-Israeli militant activity in the city.
The operation comes as Israel halted its fighting in Gaza on Sunday, as the truce agreement took effect. Still, the violence escalated in the West Bank with the raid in Jenin and a series of settler attacks on Palestinian villages.
- Israeli
- Invasion
- Gaza
- West Bank
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
