GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct 29 (NNN-WAFA/MA’AN) – 33 more Palestinians, including children and an infant, were murdered, and four others injured, last night, in Zionist Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, despite a declared ceasefire, the Palestinian Civil Defence said.
According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the authorities in Gaza, five people, including children, were murdered, when an Israeli airstrike hit a Tucson-type vehicle, on Al-Qassam street, in the southern city of Khan Younis. Rescue teams and paramedics rushed to the scene and transferred the victims to a nearby hospital.
In a separate incident, the barbaric Israeli army targeted a three-story house, belonging to the al-Banna family, in the al-Sabra neighbourhood, in southern Gaza City, killing two people and injuring four others, including a child and an infant, Basal said.
The strike caused extensive destruction to the building and damaged nearby homes. Rescue teams continued searching for victims under the rubble, he added.
Palestinian security and eyewitness sources said, the marauding Israeli warplanes, targeted several sites in and around Gaza City, while Israeli artillery shelling, hit the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, and eastern Khan Younis in the south, killing scores of Palestinians.
As the usual case, the brutal Israeli military has not immediately commented on the incidents.
In a press statement, Hamas condemned the Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip, as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” calling on mediators to “act immediately to pressure the barbaric Israeli occupation, to halt its escalation against civilians in the Gaza Strip, and to abide by all provisions of the agreement.”
Earlier last night, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said, it had postponed the handover of the body of an Israeli hostage, accusing Israel of committing “violations” of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas said in a press statement that, it had postponed the delivery that was scheduled for late yesterday, warning that, any Israeli escalation would “hinder ongoing search and excavation operations to retrieve bodies.”
Hamas said, it had discovered the body earlier in the day, during search operations inside a tunnel, in southern Gaza.
Hamas’s statement came, shortly after recalcitrant Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that, he had instructed the military to carry out “immediate and powerful” strikes in Gaza, following what Israel alleged were violations of the ceasefire by Hamas.
In a statement, apathetic Netanyahu said, the order was issued following consultations with senior defence officials.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s state-owned Army Radio reported that, Israeli forces fired artillery into the southern city of Rafah after Hamas fighters targeted Israeli troops with anti-tank weapons and sniper fire.
In a statement issued last night, Hamas denied any involvement in the incident, reaffirming its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.
The development marked the latest exchanges of blame between the untrustworthy Zionist Israel and Hamas yesterday, for ceasefire violations.
Earlier, the Zionist Israel said, the remains delivered by Hamas Monday night were body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had already been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago.
Also in the day, a Hamas source said, Israel has rejected the entry of teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian factions into eastern Gaza City, to search for the remains of Israeli captives.
Meanwhile, deceitful Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz said, the two incidents, one concerning the returned body on Monday night, and the other concerning Hamas’s alleged attack in Rafah, marked “a clear red line” and that Hamas “will pay a heavy price” for the ceasefire violations, vowing military response “with great force.”
Since the new ceasefire took effect on Oct 10, 94 Palestinians have been murdered and 344 injured, the authorities said, yesterday.– NNN-WAFA/MA’AN
