Israel attacks kills 9 in Gaza after Netanyahu instructs ‘forceful strikes’

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – Israel Defence Forces on Tuesday carried out air strikes, killed 9 people in Gaza, after an alleged violation of the US-brokered ceasefire deal by Hamas, media reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli military to “immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” his office said in a short statement.

Israel had informed the US about their decision to carry out strikes, according to official sources quoted in media.

A military official said that Hamas militants attacked Israeli forces east of the so-called yellow line, which demarcates the Israeli-occupied part of Gaza from the rest of the Gaza strip.

The troops stationed in the Rafah area reportedly came under rocket-propelled grenade and sniper fire, news media reported in Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that Hamas would pay a “heavy price” for targeting Israeli Defence Forces personnel, after the assault, “Israel will respond with great force,” Katz said.

Gaza Civil Defence reported that an Israeli airstrike hit the Al-Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza City, killed at least 3 women and a man. In the southern city of Khan Younis, 5 people, including two children and a woman, were killed in another strike.

The director of Al Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said that at least 3 explosions were heard near the medical facility in northern Gaza, media reported.

Israel has accused Hamas of misidentifying the remains of the most returned captive, which were of an abductees whose body was recovered two years ago.

Netanyahu said he’s deciding on next steps after Hamas returned the remains of a previously recovered captive, as per media reports.

Hamas condemned what it described as a “criminal bombardment” by Israel, alleged that it violated the ongoing ceasefire agreement. The group denied responsibility for the attack on Israeli troops but reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the truce, media reported.

Israel-Hamas conflict has killed at least 68,527 people and wounded 170,395 since it began in October 2023.

As per media reports, total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and over 250 taken captive.