Israel yesterday said that it had carried out strikes on dozens of Hamas targets following the death of a soldier, with Gaza experiencing its deadliest night of bombing since a US-brokered truce went into effect earlier this month.
The Israeli military said that it had targeted 30 senior militants.
Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said that “dozens of Hamas commanders were neutralized.”
Photo: Reuters
“There will be no immunity for anyone in the leadership of the terrorist organization Hamas... Whoever raises a hand against an IDF soldier, his hand will be severed,” Katz said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel said it launched the wave of strikes after a reservist — Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37 — was killed in Rafah when his engineering vehicle was hit by enemy fire.
“A few minutes later, several anti-tank missiles were fired at another armored vehicle belonging to the troops in the area,” a military official said.
Hamas said its fighters had “no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah” and reaffirmed its commitment to the US-backed ceasefire.
It also delayed handing over what it said was the remains of a deceased hostage from its attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, because the “escalation will hinder the search, excavation and recovery of the bodies.”
After the strikes the Israeli military said it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire.”
US President Donald Trump, who helped to broker the nearly three-week-old truce, had earlier said that nothing would be allowed to jeopardize the deal, but he also endorsed Israel’s right to “hit back” if attacked.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said that the strikes killed more than 100 people.
The territory’s main al-Shifa Hospital said that one strike hit its back yard.
“We had just started to breathe again, trying to rebuild our lives, when the bombardment came back,” said 31-year-old Khadija al-Husni, living under canvas at a school in the al-Shati refugee camp. “It’s a crime. Either there is a truce or a war — it can’t be both. The children couldn’t sleep; they thought the war was over.”
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