The Israeli military said the strikes were aimed at a Hamas militant in retaliation to an earlier strike by the terrorist group that wounded five of its soldiers.
Israel on late Wednesday (local time) conducted airstrikes in Gaza’s Khan Younis targeting a Hamas militant, a day after five of its soldiers were injured in an attack. The strikes, which hit the coastal al-Mawasi area, claimed five lives and left more than 30 people injured, according to Palestinian officials.ย
The dead includes two children aged eight and 10, and two women aged 30 and 46. A 36-year-old man was also killed in the strike. The Hamas has condemned the Israeli strike, calling it ‘barbaric’ and ‘indiscriminate’. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the ceasefire violation, vowing to retaliate accordingly.ย
“The Hamas terrorist organization continues to violate the ceasefire agreement and carry out acts of terrorism against our forces. Our policy is clear: Israel will not tolerate the harming of IDF soldiers and will respond accordingly,” Netanyahu’s office quoted him as saying in an X (previously Twitter) post.
“I send wishes for a speedy recovery to our heroic soldiers who were wounded today in the clash in Rafah.”ย
The Israeli military said the strikes were aimed at a Hamas militant in retaliation to an earlier strike by the terrorist group that wounded five of its soldiers. “The Hamas terrorist organization carried out a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, during which terrorists attacked IDF troops deployed in the Rafah area,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Since the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, the Israeli military has launched an offensive in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health ministry, the death count from the war is more than 70,100, with “roughly half of those killed have been women and children”. A ceasefire agreement was reached earlier this year, but it is safe to say that it has effectively failed, with Israel and Hamas continuing strikes against each other.ย
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