7 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, Hamas postpones hostage body handover

GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Seven Palestinians, including children and an infant, were killed and four others injured on Tuesday evening in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip despite a declared ceasefire, the Palestinian Civil Defense said.

According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the authorities in Gaza, five people, including children, were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a Tucson-type vehicle on Al-Qassam street in the southern city of Khan Younis. Rescue teams and paramedics rushed to the scene and transferred the victims to a nearby hospital.

In a separate incident, the Israeli army targeted a three-story house belonging to the al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood in southern Gaza City, killing two people and injuring four others, including a child and an infant, Basal told Xinhua.

The strike caused extensive destruction to the building and damaged nearby homes. Rescue teams continued searching for victims under the rubble, he added.

Palestinian security and eyewitness sources said Israeli warplanes targeted several sites in and around Gaza City, while Israeli artillery shelling hit the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, and eastern Khan Younis in the south.

The Israeli military has not immediately commented on the incidents.

In a press statement, Hamas condemned the Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement," calling on mediators to "act immediately to pressure the Israeli occupation to halt its escalation against civilians in the Gaza Strip and to abide by all provisions of the agreement."

Earlier Tuesday evening, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that it had postponed the handover of the body of an Israeli hostage, accusing Israel of committing "violations" of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas said in a press statement that it had postponed the delivery that was scheduled for late Tuesday, warning that any Israeli escalation would "hinder ongoing search and excavation operations to retrieve bodies."

The group said it had discovered the body earlier in the day during search operations inside a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Hamas's statement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he had instructed the military to carry out "immediate and powerful" strikes in Gaza, following what Israel said were violations of the ceasefire by Hamas.

In a statement, Netanyahu said the order was issued following consultations with senior defense officials.

Earlier in the day, Israel's state-owned Army Radio reported that Israeli forces fired artillery into the southern city of Rafah after Hamas fighters targeted Israeli troops with anti-tank weapons and sniper fire.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Hamas denied any involvement in the incident, reaffirming its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

The development marked the latest exchanges of blame between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday for ceasefire violations.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said the remains delivered by Hamas Monday night were body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had already been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago.

Also in the day, a Hamas source said Israel has rejected the entry of teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian factions into eastern Gaza City to search for the remains of Israeli captives.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the two incidents, one concerning the returned body on Monday night, and the other concerning Hamas's alleged attack in Rafah, marked "a clear red line" and that Hamas "will pay a heavy price" for the ceasefire violations, vowing military response "with great force."

The Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent offensive has left more than 68,000 dead and 170,000 wounded in Gaza, according to Gaza-based health authorities.

Since the new ceasefire took effect on Oct 10, 94 Palestinians have been killed and 344 injured, the authorities said Tuesday.