At least 12 Palestinians were killed and several more injured across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to local officials, as the Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas.
The Gaza civil defence agency reported five people killed when an airstrike targeted a tent sheltering displaced people in the northern city of Jabaliya. Five more were killed in a separate strike in the southern city of Khan Younis, with additional deaths reported in Gaza City and Beit Lahia.
Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson, accused Israel of committing a new massacre against displaced Palestinians, calling it a serious breach of the ceasefire. The truce, brokered by the United States, entered its second phase last month but has been marred by mutual accusations of violations.
Relatives and mourners gathered at Nasser hospital, where the bodies of some of those killed were laid out in white shrouds. Osama Abu Askar, who lost his nephew in the Jabaliya attack, told Agence France-Presse: 'We've been living under a truce for months and they've still targeted us.'
An Israeli military official said forces attacked in response to Hamas violations, including armed individuals crossing the so-called yellow line that marks the Israeli withdrawal zone. Israel has unilaterally moved the line deeper into Gaza, while Hamas has rejected demands to disarm.
Gaza's health ministry has reported at least 601 deaths since the truce began, while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.
