By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jana Choukeir
CAIRO/DUBAI, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians in two separate strikes in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, hours after the military said it had hit the site of a failed militant rocket launch, the latest violence to jeopardise the ceasefire.
Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed at least three people and wounded three others, including children, in a tent in the western area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Another strike killed a person east of the city, near where Israeli forces operate.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the death reports.
Earlier, the military said it had struck a launch site shortly after the firing of a rocket that had failed to reach Israeli territory. It accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire twice in the past 24 hours. A source from the Palestinian militant group told Reuters it was checking the allegation.
A ceasefire agreed in October has not progressed beyond the first phase, under which major fighting stopped, Israel withdrew from less than half of Gaza and Hamas fighters released live hostages and human remains in return for detained Palestinians.
Under future phases yet to be hammered out, U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan envisages Hamas disarming, Israel pulling out further and an internationally backed administration rebuilding Gaza.
But little progress has been made on the next steps. More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, and nearly all of Gaza’s more than 2 million people now live in makeshift homes or damaged buildings in a sliver of territory where Israeli troops have withdrawn and Hamas has reasserted control.
Israel is awaiting the handover of the final body due under the initial stage of the truce. An Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would not move to the next phase of the ceasefire until Hamas returns the remains of the last Israeli hostage still held in Gaza.
Israel has yet to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, another condition of the U.S.-backed plan, saying it will do so only once the remains are returned.
CEASEFIRE LOOKING FRAGILE
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the ceasefire deal and remain far apart on the more difficult steps envisaged for the next phase.
Israel has continued to carry out air strikes and targeted operations across Gaza. The Israeli military said it views “with utmost severity” any attempts by militant groups in Gaza to attack Israel.
A Hamas official told Reuters on Thursday the group had documented more than 1,100 Israeli violations of the ceasefire since October and had urged mediators to intervene. The violations include killings, injuries, artillery and aerial strikes, home demolitions and detention of people, he said.
Hamas has refused to disarm and has been reasserting its control. Israel has said it will resume military action if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 others in an assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. More than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir in Dubai and Nidal al Mughrbai in Cairo; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.