Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health officials, while the Israeli army said it targeted a Hamas military site in the north as it resumed attacks on the territory.
Three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra suburb in Gaza City, while another airstrike left two men dead and wounded six others in Beit Hanoun town in the north, the Gaza health officials said.
Hamas Site Targetted
The Israeli military said its airstrike hit a Hamas site in northern Gaza, where they detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory. Israel resumed airstrikes a day earlier as both sides traded blame over breaking a ceasefire and shattering nearly two months of relative calm.
Israeli naval vessels attacked several boats it said were intended to carry out “terrorist” acts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups. Palestinians said an Israeli drone fired at several fishing boats onshore of Gaza City, setting several of them ablaze.
The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas site in northern Gaza, where they detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory. Israel resumed airstrikes a day earlier as both sides traded blame over breaking a ceasefire and shattering nearly two months of relative calm.
Israeli naval vessels attacked several boats it said were intended to carry out “terrorist” acts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups. Palestinians said an Israeli drone fired at several fishing boats onshore of Gaza City, setting several of them ablaze.
Netanyahu Orders Strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of about 250 hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack, accused Israel of jeopardizing efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting.
Hamas officials said they remained keen on concluding the three-phase ceasefire deal as signed.
Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people and taking the hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 people, say Palestinian health authorities.
(With inputs from Reuters)
