Gaza Strikes Hit Camp, Police Station

Hospitals in Gaza reported that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 Palestinians on Saturday, including several children, marking one of the deadliest days since the October ceasefire intended to halt the fighting. The strikes came a day after Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire. According to hospital officials who received the victims, the strikes hit multiple locations across Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent encampment in Khan Younis. Among the dead were two women and six children from two separate families, according to the Associated Press. Another strike hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 14 people and injuring others, the director of Shifa Hospital said.

The airstrikes occurred one day before the scheduled reopening of the Rafah crossing along the Gaza-Egypt border in the southern city of Rafah. Most of Gaza’s border crossings have remained closed for nearly the entire conflict. Many Palestinians view the Rafah crossing as a critical route for those needing medical treatment outside the territory, where much of the healthcare infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. The initial, limited reopening of the crossing is considered a key step in the second phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Reopening borders is among several complex issues being addressed in this phase, which also includes discussions about demilitarizing Gaza after nearly two decades of Hamas control and establishing a new governing authority to oversee reconstruction.

Despite progress in ceasefire negotiations, the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. Nasser Hospital reported that the strike on the tent camp sparked a fire that killed seven people, including a father, his three children, and three grandchildren. Shifa Hospital said the apartment building strike in Gaza City killed three children along with their aunt and grandmother. The strike on the police station reportedly killed at least 11 people, including officers—among them four policewomen—and detainees. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said civilians were also among those killed. Hamas described Saturday’s strikes as “a renewed flagrant violation” of the ceasefire and called on the United States and other mediators to pressure Israel to halt further attacks. An Israeli military official said the strikes were carried out in response to ceasefire violations the previous day.