MEMPHIS REISEN

Israeli ceasefire violations escalate in Gaza as international pressure mounts for protection measures

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned on Saturday that accelerating the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza has become an urgent necessity to protect the fragile ceasefire and ensure full implementation of the latest UN Security Council resolution. Abdelatty delivered the message during separate meetings with UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Abdelatty’s remarks came as Israeli forces broadened what Gaza authorities described as repeated violations of the ceasefire that took effect on October 10. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported seven Palestinians killed and 30 injured in the past 48 hours. Since the ceasefire began, 318 people have been killed and 788 wounded, while rescue teams have recovered 572 bodies from beneath destroyed buildings. The overall toll since October 7, 2023, stands at 69,733 dead and 170,863 injured.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that Israeli forces launched dozens of airstrikes at dawn on Saturday across eastern Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City—including the Shuja’iyya and Tuffah neighborhoods—while detonating residential buildings and advancing several hundred meters into areas previously vacated under the ceasefire terms.

The renewed escalation has triggered a fresh wave of displacement, forcing hundreds of families to flee toward areas with little or no access to basic services. Gaza’s Civil Defence said Israeli forces have blown up “dozens of homes and residential blocks” east of Gaza City since the ceasefire began. The agency warned that worsening winter weather could deepen the humanitarian crisis, noting that relief operations remain “extremely slow” compared to the scale of need.

Hamas said the Israeli actions “place a direct responsibility” on mediators and the US administration to prevent a collapse of the truce. The group accused Israel of removing the agreed-upon yellow demarcation line and pushing westward each day under the cover of airstrikes and artillery fire. It said these breaches have caused hundreds of deaths and shifts in Israel’s withdrawal lines “in clear violation of the agreed maps,” urging immediate international intervention.

Israeli media, including Channel 12 and the public broadcaster Kan, reported that the army targeted Alaa al-Hididi, described as a senior figure in Hamas’s weapons and logistics network. The reports said the strike was coordinated with the US–Israeli Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat.

Israeli strikes on Saturday added further casualties. An airstrike hit the vicinity of Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, while four children were killed in a strike on a home west of Deir al-Balah. Five Palestinians were also killed and others wounded when a drone targeted a vehicle near al-Abbas Junction west of Gaza City, according to medical sources who warned the toll could rise.

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in Palestine, said more than 16,500 patients in Gaza still require evacuation for medical treatment outside the strip. Only half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functioning, he said, while none are operational in northern Gaza, where at least 20,000 people remain. Peeperkorn called for reopening all crossings to increase humanitarian aid, stressing that supplies remain far below required levels despite the ceasefire.

Diplomatic efforts continued on the margins of the G20 summit. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the crisis in Gaza and the need to accelerate reconstruction to address the dire humanitarian conditions, according to a statement from Ottawa. The two leaders also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, saying any political settlement must include Kyiv as a full party and ensure lasting security guarantees.

The UN’s World Food Programme warned that families in Gaza are facing severe cash shortages and are unable to afford essential goods even when limited supplies reach local markets. The agency said prices of basic items remain prohibitively high and noted that “killings of Palestinians continue despite the ceasefire.”

 

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