Gaza:
At least 30 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered what he called “powerful strikes,” following reports of Hamas attacks on Israeli troops despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire.

According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, multiple strikes targeted several parts of the enclave, including areas near Al-Shifa Hospital, where one explosion reportedly hit the facility’s backyard. Five people were killed when a vehicle was struck.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of crossing a “red line” by attacking Israeli soldiers inside Gaza. “The IDF will respond with great force,” he said in a statement.

However, Hamas denied involvement in the alleged attack, claiming its fighters had “no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah.”

Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said the ceasefire “was still holding” despite what he described as “small skirmishes.” Speaking to Fox News, he added, “We expect the Israelis are going to respond — but I think the president’s peace is going to hold.”

The recent escalation has threatened to derail the fragile truce that began on October 10, under which Hamas agreed to return the bodies of Israeli hostages. The group, however, said ongoing Israeli “escalation” was making recovery efforts difficult.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel has urged the government to act firmly, accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire terms.

Since Hamas’s October 2023 attack that killed 1,221 people in Israel, the conflict has claimed over 68,500 lives in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry figures cited by the United Nations.

Despite the truce, civilians in Gaza fear renewed conflict. “Now they accuse Hamas of stalling, and that is a pretext for renewed escalation and war,” said Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed, a 60-year-old Gaza resident. “We want to rest. I believe the war will come back.”

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