Portugal Colonial - Gaza health officials say strikes kill 21 after Israel says shots wounded officer

Despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the agreement.

The latest bloodshed came days after Israel partly reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only exit for Gazans that does not pass through Israel.

The health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, said that 21 people were killed in a series of strikes, with at least 38 others wounded, updating an earlier figure given by the territory's civil defence agency.

Among the dead were three children, said the agency, which operates as a rescue force under the Hamas authority.

"We were sleeping when suddenly shells and gunfire rained down on us," said Abu Mohammed Haboush, whose son was killed.

"Young children were martyred, my son and my nephew were among the dead. We lost many young men," he said, adding that he and his family were living far away from the so-called "Yellow Line," where Israeli forces are stationed.

AFP images showed mourners offering prayers in the compound of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where several bodies wrapped in white shrouds were laid out.

An AFP photograph showed a relative holding a body of a child wrapped in a shroud at the hospital as relatives gathered around him.

- Shortage of medical aid -

Three bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital after Israeli strikes hit homes and tents housing displaced Palestinians in the southern Khan Yunis area, the civil defence agency said.

Fourteen more bodies were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, its director Mohamed Abu Salmiya said in a statement.

"We also received dozens of wounded. The situation is extremely difficult in the hospitals of the Gaza Strip due to the severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies," Abu Salmiya said.

Israel scrutinises all aid into besieged Gaza, a tiny coastal territory surrounded by fences, walls and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Israeli military said it had launched strikes after "terrorists opened fire on troops" Wednesday, seriously wounding an officer, adding that it considers the incident a violation of the ceasefire.

It said the troops came under attack near the "Yellow Line", without specifying which side of the line the troops were on.

The ceasefire took effect after two years of war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.

Following what was reportedly US pressure, Israel allowed the opening of the Rafah crossing, but limited passage to patients and their travel companions.

Sick and wounded Gazans have begun crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment since Monday.

On Tuesday, 45 people crossed into Egypt and 42 entered the territory, a source at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society told AFP.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, those meant to enter during the day on Tuesday arrived in Gaza through Rafah in a large bus, an AFP journalist reported.

- 'My homeland' -

Relatives of those returning from Egypt screamed in joy, hugging and crying.

"I am so happy to be back with my husband, my children, my family, my loved ones, and of course, my homeland," Fariza Barabakh, who returned that day, told AFP.

"It's an indescribable feeling, thank God. What can I say? My two young children didn't recognise me, but thank God. I hope it will be alright," Yusef Abu Fahma, another returnee, told AFP.

Gaza's health ministry says at least 556 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers have been killed over the same period.

Saturday was among the deadliest days, with the civil defence agency reporting at least 32 people killed in Israeli attacks, which the military said were in response to a Hamas ceasefire violation.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

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J.V.Jacinto--PC