Children among 31 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces across Gaza

Fresh waves of Israeli air strikes tore through Gaza, killing at least 31 Palestinians — among them six children and several police officers — just a day before the long-shuttered Rafah border crossing is set to reopen, deepening fears that a fragile truce is fraying beyond repair, the Al Jazeera reported.

In the early hours of Saturday, an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering displaced families in the al-Mawasi area northwest of Khan Younis, killing at least seven people, including three children, medical sources told Al Jazeera. The bodies were rushed to the Nasser Medical Complex, where grief-stricken relatives gathered amid scenes of devastation.

Gaza City was also rocked by explosions. Emergency services said an Israeli air attack struck an apartment in the Remal neighbourhood, killing at least five Palestinians, including a mother and her children. Al Jazeera reported that powerful shockwaves tore through the area, followed by a suffocating cloud of dust and debris that engulfed the street. Another strike in the Daraj neighbourhood injured at least eight people.

The attacks occurred within the so-called “yellow line” — areas from which Israeli forces were meant to have withdrawn under the first phase of the ceasefire that came into effect in October, the Al Jazeera reported. In Khan Younis, he added, a building was completely destroyed by fighter jets after residents received a prior warning from the Israeli military.

The latest violence drew sharp condemnation from the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, who dismissed the truce as “a ceasefire in name only”.
“A ceasefire means guns fall silent and give way to efforts to end the war,” he wrote on X. “People in Gaza deserve a genuine ceasefire — a much overdue ceasefire.”

Key mediators Egypt and Qatar also denounced the strikes. Cairo urged all parties to exercise “the utmost restraint” ahead of Sunday’s planned reopening of the Rafah crossing, while Qatar warned that the attacks marked a “dangerous escalation” that could derail regional and international efforts to stabilise the ceasefire.

Israel’s military said the strikes were retaliatory, claiming that eight Palestinian fighters had emerged from a tunnel in Rafah on Friday in violation of the truce. It said its forces targeted “four commanders and additional terrorists” linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad across Gaza. Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi rejected the claim, calling the strikes “a fully fledged crime committed by a criminal enemy that does not respect agreements or commitments”.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, at least 524 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the US-brokered ceasefire began.

Residents in Rafah reported further air attacks in areas under Israeli control, even as Israel confirmed plans to reopen the Rafah crossing on Sunday for the first time since May 2024. The reopening, part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, had been delayed until the remains of Israel’s last captive held in Gaza were recovered earlier this week.

Israel said only “limited movement” would be allowed through the crossing, restricted to individuals who receive Israeli security clearance. No humanitarian aid or supplies will be permitted to enter.

Gaza’s health system, already on the brink of collapse, continues to deteriorate. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s health ministry, warned that medical supplies are rapidly running out and appealed for urgent access to aid and medical evacuations for the wounded.

The Rafah crossing will be overseen by Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and a European Union mission, though Israel will retain ultimate control over entry and exit. Hamas has called for unrestricted movement and urged Israel to adhere fully to the ceasefire terms.

Since 7 October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 71,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities — a toll that continues to rise as diplomacy struggles to keep pace with the violence on the ground.