Israeli strike martyrs 2 more Palestinians in Gaza despite claim of ‘resuming’ truce

The Zionist regime’s military carried out an airstrike on Wednesday evening in the Beit Lahiya area of the northern Gaza Strip, martyring at least two people, according to al‑Shifa Hospital.

The deadly air raid followed a night of heavy bombardment that left more than 100 Palestinians dead, including at least 46 children, across the war-torn Palestinian territory.

The airstrike on Wednesday came even as the occupying entity claimed to be resuming the fragile ceasefire that had been agreed in October between Tel Aviv and the Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas.

“It’s a crime. Either there is a truce or a war – it can’t be both. The children couldn’t sleep; they thought the war was over,” said Khadija al-Husni, a displaced mother living with her children at a school in Gaza’s Shati refugee camp.

The latest attacks came just as people had “started to breathe again, trying to rebuild our lives,” she added.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, strongly condemned the civilian deaths and warned that peace must not “slip from our grasp”.

Meanwhile, mediators in Qatar expressed frustration but reiterated efforts to move to the next phase of the ceasefire, including the disarmament of Hamas.

The resistance movement has warned that continued Israeli violations would hinder efforts to recover captives and bodies.

In a separate development, Israel officially barred Red Cross officials from visiting Palestinian detainees, claiming that the visits might endanger security.

Hamas, in response, slammed Tel Aviv’s move, saying the ban breaches the rights of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and “adds to a series of systematic and criminal violations they are subjected to,” such as killings, torture, and starvation.

Zionist regime, which routinely strikes Gaza in violation of the ceasefire, has blamed Hamas for breaching the agreement, claiming the group attacked Zionist troops in Rafah on Tuesday, which killed one soldier. Hamas rejects the accusation, blaming Tel Aviv for the violation of the shaky truce.

Hamas has already called on guarantors, namely Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States, to act immediately to pressure the regime and curb its brutal escalation against civilians in Gaza, stop its serious violations of the agreement, and urge it to adhere to all of its terms.