Israeli air and artillery strikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least 21 people, according to the territory's Civil Defence agency, marking a severe challenge to the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military confirmed it launched a "wave of attacks" in the southern Gaza Strip, targeting what it called Hamas terror sites, claiming the strikes were in response to alleged "blatant violation" of the truce, including firing on Israeli troops near Rafah.
The Civil Defence agency, which operates under the Hamas-run government, reported that the dead included civilians, with casualties confirmed in central Gaza (including Zawaida and Nuseirat refugee camp) and in the north near Jabalia.
Both sides have accused the other of violating the ceasefire, which has been in place for over a week. Israel accused Hamas of failing to return all the deceased hostages and attacking its forces. Hamas rejected the claims and accused Israel of continuous aggression.
Amid the heightened tensions, Israel reportedly halted the supply of humanitarian aid into Gaza, linking the reopening of crossing points to the resolution of the deceased hostage issue. Humanitarian agencies warn that aid remains critically scarce.
The renewed violence comes just days after Gaza's media office had accused Israel of 47 ceasefire violations since the truce began, resulting in 38 Palestinian deaths prior to Sunday's strikes. The Israeli military is reportedly investigating the latest casualty reports.
