Israeli airstrikes have killed 81 Palestinians, including 20 children and 25 women, and injured over 230 others in Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
This brings the death toll from the 15-month conflict to 46,788, with over 110,000 wounded during the ongoing Israeli military offensive.
Rescue services reported that 61 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City alone as Israel intensified bombardments despite the announcement of the much-demanded ceasefire deal.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 72 people since a ceasefire deal was announced, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday.
In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires take effect to project strength.
The ministry says the toll from Thursday’s strikes only includes bodies brought to two hospitals in Gaza City, and that the actual toll is likely higher.
“Yesterday was a bloody day, and today is bloodier,” said Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department.
A group representing some families of soldiers killed fighting in Gaza held a demonstration Thursday against a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Gvura Forum opposes the deal, saying it won’t lead to Hamas’ destruction and that it will free Palestinians convicted of deadly crimes against Israelis. The agreement could also leave some Israeli hostages behind in Gaza if it collapses, the group said.
The group set up rows of mock coffins draped in the Israeli flag in Jerusalem to symbolize the price Israel will pay if it agrees to the deal.
“It’s a very dangerous deal,” said Yehoshua Shani, whose son Ori Mordehai Shani was killed in battle in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He believed the incoming Trump administration could exert more pressure on Hamas and secure better terms.
Many Israelis support a ceasefire deal that would bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza. However, some families of fallen soldiers and of hostages oppose any agreement that they perceive grants too many concessions to Hamas.
