Relentless Israeli bombardment in Gaza killed at least 31 Palestinians on Saturday, including six children and several police officers, a day before the Rafah border crossing is set to reopen.
An Israeli air strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, killing at least seven Palestinians, among them three children, with victims taken to Nasser Medical Complex.
In Gaza City, emergency services said an air attack on an apartment building in the Remal neighbourhood killed at least five Palestinians, including a mother and her children.
Another strike on an apartment building in the Daraj neighbourhood injured at least eight people.
Al Jazeera reported that powerful explosions caused widespread destruction, with buildings struck even within areas covered by the ceasefire withdrawal lines. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini condemned the attacks, calling the truce “a ceasefire in name only” and urging a genuine end to the fighting.
Egypt and Qatar, the main ceasefire mediators, also denounced the violence, warning it could jeopardise the reopening of Rafah and regional stability. Israel brazenly claimed that the strikes were retaliation for a ceasefire violation, a claim rejected by Hamas, as Gaza authorities report at least 524 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began.
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