At least 12 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on Saturday, according to hospitals in Gaza, marking one of the largest death tolls since an October ceasefire meant to put an end to the hostilities went into effect.
Officials at hospitals that received the bodies said the strike hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis.
Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City strike killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives on Saturday morning, while Nasser Hospital said a strike in a tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.
The strikes came a day before the Rafah border crossing is set to open in Gaza’s southernmost city, and even as a second phase of the ceasefire agreement inches forward.
The Gaza territory’s border crossings have been closed since the start of the war in October 2023, and Palestinians see the Rafah crossing with Egypt as a lifeline for the tens of thousands in need of treatment outside the territory, where the majority of medical infrastructure has been destroyed.
Since the ceasefire began on 10 October last year, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions about the latest strikes