Gaza City – An Israeli airstrike targeted a residence in the Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City, resulting in casualties, according to local sources. The Israeli military claims the strike aimed at a senior Hamas commander operating in the northern Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses report the airstrike hit a house on Yaffa Street, located outside the areas currently occupied by Israeli forces in the eastern part of Gaza City. Medical sources at the Baptist Hospital described the injuries of several victims as severe.
Reports indicate that two Palestinians were killed and three others wounded in the aerial bombardment of the house in the Tuffah neighborhood.
The Israeli military issued a statement asserting that its forces attacked a high-ranking Hamas commander allegedly planning attacks against Israeli troops in northern Gaza. The military further stated that the operation was a response to gunfire directed at its forces.
According to the statement, Hamas militants allegedly opened fire on an area where Israeli forces were stationed earlier today, an act the army considers a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli military radio reported that the targeted individual was a battalion commander within the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
This incident is the latest in a series of reported breaches of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on October 10th. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, these violations have resulted in the deaths of 424 Palestinians and injuries to 1,199 others.
The ongoing conflict has had a devastating impact on Gaza. A previous large-scale Israeli operation, lasting two years, resulted in over 71,000 fatalities and 171,000 injuries among Palestinians. Extensive damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure, with an estimated 90% destroyed. The United Nations estimates the cost of reconstruction at approximately $70 billion.
