At least 86 Palestinians, including 23 children, were killed in Gaza following the announcement of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal on Wednesday, Palestinian Civil Defense said, as Israeli attacks continued in the area. Civil Defense said in a press statement that of the total deaths, 73 were recorded in Gaza City in the north, four in central Gaza and nine in the south.
According to the statement, the dead included 23 children and 27 women, while more than 258 other people were injured in various ways. The Israeli military said its air force targeted about 50 sites in Gaza in the past few hours, Xinhua news agency reported.
The press release said the targets included members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, military buildings, weapons storage facilities, rocket-launching sites, weapons production sites, and observation posts.
It accused Hamas of “systematically violating international law by brutally exploiting civilian institutions and populations for its activities,” adding that it would continue to act decisively against such organizations.
Egypt, Qatar and the US, which are mediating between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza, announced in a joint statement that the two sides had reached an agreement for a prisoner and hostage exchange. It also aims for a permanent ceasefire between them, in order to return to lasting peace.
The agreement is expected to take effect on Sunday. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it struck about 50 sites in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a day after agreeing to a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
In a statement, the military said the strikes targeted a terrorist who took part in a Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities in October 2023. The army said the terrorist had “participated in the massacre at the Nova Music Festival.” According to the statement, it also attacked other military compounds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, weapons storage and manufacturing facilities, launch posts and observation posts.
Since October 7, 2023, Hamas and Israel have been engaged in a fierce conflict that has left more than 46,000 Palestinians dead and unprecedented destruction in Gaza. The conflict began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing Israelis and taking hostages.
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