Four Palestinian civilians were martyred on Thursday as Israeli occupation forces unleashed a fresh wave of airstrikes and artillery barrages across the Gaza Strip, systematically dismantling the fragile ceasefire that has nominally been in place since October 10.
Medical sources confirmed that Nihad Riyad Arouqi was killed and several others wounded in the early morning hours when Israeli warplanes targeted a tent sheltering displaced families in the port area west of Gaza City—yet another instance of civilian infrastructure being deliberately placed in the crosshairs.
In a coordinated escalation, Israeli artillery shelling claimed the life of Ibrahim Radwan Khattab near the Dawla Junction south of the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City. This assault coincided with a ground incursion by Israeli tanks advancing along Sikka Street, east of the neighborhood, while reconnaissance helicopters fired toward eastern areas of the city.
The bombardment extended across the Strip with devastating precision. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society documented at least five injuries from the shelling in Zeitoun, while further east, Muhammad Ahed al-Rifi and Suhail Salah Ahdeibi were martyred by Israeli strikes targeting the vicinity of the Sanfour Junction in the Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City.
In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes bombed a residential house in the Baraka area of Deir al-Balah and another home west of the Nuseirat refugee camp, wounding multiple civilians. Concurrent airstrikes targeted the al-Bureij refugee camp, while artillery batteries shelled the northern part of al-Bureij and the eastern sectors of al-Maghazi camp.
Artillery and Incursions Intensify
Israeli occupation forces continued their bombardment of the southern governorates, shelling the town of al-Qarara north of Khan Younis and bombarding areas surrounding Salah al-Din Street east of Hamad City. Smoke grenades were deployed east of the Abu al-Ajeen area, east of Deir al-Balah, while Israeli military vehicles advanced toward the vicinity of Abu Tamam School in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City.
Systematic Violations of Ceasefire
The occupation forces persist in violating the ceasefire agreement through relentless aerial and artillery bombardments targeting displaced persons’ camps, combined with ongoing demolition operations within the so-called “yellow line.” Movement restrictions on goods, humanitarian aid, and civilian travel remain firmly in place, effectively strangling the enclave’s already devastated population.
Mounting Toll of Genocide
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the number of Palestinians martyred since the ceasefire commenced on October 10 has reached 1,127, with an additional 3,616 wounded and 800 bodies recovered from beneath the rubble. The cumulative toll of the occupation’s aggression since October 7, 2023, has now risen to approximately 73,250 martyrs and 173,727 injuries a staggering humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold without respite
Source: Palestinian media (edited and translated by Al-Manar)