The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed this Saturday that they carried out attacks in the Gaza Strip even with the ceasefire in force, stating that the action was a response to a violation of the truce. The Israeli Army stated that it observed armed fighters emerging from an underground infrastructure in the eastern region of Rafah and that the aim of the attacks was to target leaders and militants of terrorist groups, including members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as facilities used for manufacturing and launching weapons.
In a statement, the IDF said it had neutralized four commanders and other terrorists, hit a weapons depot and two launch points in central Gaza. The justification presented by Israeli forces is that the actions were necessary to prevent further violations of the ceasefire and were directed at specific terrorist targets, following the logic of defense in the face of identified threats.
However, medical and Palestinian Civil Defense sources, cited by EFE, reported that at least 32 people were killed in Saturday’s attacks, despite the ceasefire in force. The dead included women, children and civilians, including victims of bombings in residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
According to Civil Defense, rescue teams recovered bodies from the rubble of a police station in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, where the death toll reached 17, the majority of them women and children. Among the victims were four female police officers and four detainees, according to the Shifa Hospital morgue and the Hamas Ministry of Interior.
In Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, a drone attack hit a campaign tent, killing a father, his three children and three of his grandchildren, according to reports from hospitals and Civil Defense. Other attacks in northern Gaza targeted apartments where civilians were taking refuge, resulting in the deaths of a mother and three of her children.
Hospital sources also reported that other fatalities were recorded in air strikes in residential areas, bringing the total number of deaths this Saturday to at least 32 people, with dozens injured, some in serious condition.
Local reports also indicate that these deaths increase the number of victims since the beginning of the ceasefire, on October 10, 2025, to more than 520 dead, including more than 100 children, according to data released by the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
The episode comes one day before the scheduled reopening of the Rafah border with Egypt, considered crucial for the entry of humanitarian aid and one of the central points of the second phase of the ceasefire brokered by the United States. Negotiations in Miami intensified discussions on the creation of a “unified authority” in Gaza and on measures to disarm Hamas, objectives that remain under debate between the parties.
Both Israel and the groups in Gaza accuse each other of violating the terms of the truce. The IDF insists the attacks were in response to hostile actions and targeted only terrorists and military infrastructure, while Palestinian sources highlight the high number of civilians killed and injured, including women and children.
The escalation of violence also comes a week after Israel stated that it attacked Hezbollah infrastructure and vehicles in southern Lebanon, alleging attempts to reestablish terrorist capabilities, in violation of agreements with Israel, which adds another front of tension in the region.
