Israeli Strikes Kill Over 100 in Gaza as Ceasefire Trembles Under Strain
CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Israel’s military vowed on Wednesday to honor a fragile ceasefire in Gaza even as its warplanes pounded the enclave overnight, killing 104 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, according to “Arab News”. Both sides traded accusations of violating the U.S.-backed truce, raising fears that months of tenuous calm could unravel.
Israel said it launched the strikes late Tuesday in response to an attack by Palestinian militants that killed an Israeli soldier near Rafah, accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire lines. Hamas denied involvement, saying it remained committed to the truce brokered earlier this month.
“This was one of the worst nights since the ceasefire was signed,” said Ismail Zayda, a displaced father of three sheltering in western Gaza City. “The sounds of explosions made us feel as if war had started again.”
Health officials in Gaza said 46 children and 20 women were among the dead. Reuters footage from a local hospital showed bodies of women and children being prepared for burial.
The Israeli military said its strikes targeted Hamas positions and vowed to continue upholding the ceasefire while responding “firmly to any violation.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration helped broker the October 10 accord, insisted the truce remained intact. “Nothing is going to jeopardize the ceasefire,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “If Hamas acts up, Israel has every right to hit back.”
The ceasefire ended two years of war that began with Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. Under the deal, Hamas freed all living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, while pledging to return the remains of the dead.
Tensions flared further after Israel accused Hamas of staging a “fake recovery” of human remains. The Red Cross, which helped retrieve the body, said it was unaware of any deception.
As grief deepened across Gaza’s rubble-strewn streets, both sides clung to their competing narratives — a ceasefire still on paper, but barely breathing in reality.
