Israeli strikes kill at least nine Palestinians in Gaza since dawn

At least nine Palestinians have been killed since dawn in fresh Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera, as violence continues to shatter hopes of calm despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Health officials on the ground reported that the latest strikes targeted multiple areas of the besieged enclave, adding to an already staggering toll from more than a year of war. Gaza’s Government Media Office said the number of alleged Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement has now reached 1,620, underscoring the fragility of the truce and the deep mistrust between the warring sides.

The renewed bloodshed in Gaza comes amid a widening regional shadow. Earlier, the Israeli military launched a series of strikes on southern Lebanon, saying it had targeted warehouses used by Hezbollah. The cross-border attacks have heightened fears of further escalation along Israel’s northern frontier.

Since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 72,051 people and wounded 171,706, according to Palestinian authorities. The war began after the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, in which an estimated 1,139 people were killed and around 250 taken captive, the Al Jazeera reported.

As diplomatic efforts strain to hold a tenuous ceasefire in place, the latest casualties serve as a stark reminder that for civilians on both sides, the conflict’s human cost continues to mount with devastating regularity.