Israeli military attacks across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 23 Palestinians, including children, marking one of the deadliest days since a ceasefire came into effect in October, according to medical sources.
Health officials said the fatalities on Wednesday included several minors, among them an 11-year-old girl. The deaths came amid an intensification of Israeli shelling and air strikes across multiple areas of the besieged enclave.
At least 14 people were killed when Israeli forces shelled the Tuffah and Zeitoun neighbourhoods of Gaza City. In southern Gaza, four people died after an attack struck tents housing displaced families in the Qizan Abu Rashwan area, south of Khan Younis.
Two more people were killed in Israeli air attacks on the al-Mawasi coastal tent camp. The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed that one of those killed was first responder Hussein Hasan Hussein al-Sumairy.
Surge in Attacks Despite Ceasefire
Reporting from Khan Younis, Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum said residential homes in Gaza City had been directly hit without warning.
“These attacks are happening despite a US-brokered ceasefire supposedly being in place,” Abu Azzoum said, adding that residents feel there is “no sense of relief or safety”.
He described a sharp escalation in Israeli military activity, with drones audibly hovering over large parts of Gaza, raising fears of further strikes.
The Israeli military said its armoured units and aircraft launched attacks in northern Gaza after a reserve officer was shot and seriously wounded during what it described as routine operations near the so-called “yellow line” — a boundary marking areas under Israeli military control.
Abu Azzoum reported that Israeli forces have been shifting the location of that line in eastern Gaza, fuelling anxiety among nearby residents.
Rising Death Toll
Since the ceasefire began nearly four months ago, Israeli attacks have killed more than 520 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
On Wednesday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said Israeli authorities handed over the bodies of 54 Palestinians along with 66 boxes containing what it described as “human remains and organs”.
The remains were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross, before being delivered to medical teams in Gaza for examination and identification.
Since the war began on October 7, 2023, at least 71,803 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, the ministry said. Human rights organisations and a United Nations inquiry have described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal. A genocide case against Israel is currently being heard at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Medical Evacuations at Rafah in Question
Amid the surge in violence, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israel initially cancelled plans for a third group of Palestinian patients to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
Spokesperson Raed al-Nims told Al Jazeera that the organisation was informed on Wednesday morning that evacuations had been suspended. Later in the day, coordination was reportedly restored, allowing the evacuation process to resume.
Al-Nims said the procedure involves patients first undergoing medical checks at a Red Cross hospital before being transported by ambulance to Rafah and onward to hospitals in Egypt or other countries.
Israel’s defence ministry body COGAT said the World Health Organization had not provided the required coordination details, a claim the WHO had not immediately commented on.
Although Israel agreed to partially reopen Rafah this week after nearly two years of closure, the number of people allowed to cross remains far below earlier commitments. Only five Palestinians exited Gaza on Monday and 16 on Tuesday, despite Israeli assurances that up to 50 would be permitted daily.
Gaza health officials said more than 18,000 patients are awaiting evacuation, including about 440 critical cases requiring urgent care.
West Bank Raid Turns Deadly
Away from Gaza, Israeli forces also carried out raids in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Saeed Na’el al-Sheikh, 24, was shot and killed during an Israeli raid in the city of Jericho on Tuesday night.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said three people were wounded in that raid, while six others were injured elsewhere — three by gunfire, two from beatings by Israeli soldiers, and one woman who was run over by a military vehicle.