DaysofPal- Just hours after the Israeli government officially ratified a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending its two-year genocidal war in Gaza, Israeli forces launched new artillery and air assaults across several regions of the Strip, violating the truce and plunging Gaza back into violence.
The ceasefire, which was scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. Friday was intended to initiate a permanent halt to hostilities and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces to the so-called “yellow line.”
However, instead of a calm morning, Gaza’s residents were met with fresh explosions, smoke, and the sound of renewed attacks.
Local sources reported heavy Israeli shelling in the northwestern parts of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza shortly after midnight.
Airstrikes and smoke bombs also struck residential neighborhoods in Gaza City and Khan Younis, areas where displaced families had just begun returning.
Medical officials confirmed casualties from the attacks, including two Palestinians killed and several others wounded in an Israeli strike on Hamad City in southern Gaza.
The renewed violence came less than a day after Israeli forces carried out a deadly airstrike in Gaza City, killing 27 Palestinians, 18 of them in a single incident.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement brokered in Sharm el-Sheikh, with mediation from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the U.S., the Israeli occupation was expected to cease all military operations immediately, initiate a troop withdrawal within 72 hours, and participate in a large-scale prisoner exchange.
This included the release of 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, 1,700 detainees from Gaza, and numerous women and children.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya stated that the deal guarantees a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal, and unrestricted humanitarian aid via the Rafah Crossing, backed by international guarantees, including from the United States.
Although the Israeli occupation formally accepted the agreement, after four delays and in the presence of U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, its military actions on the ground tell a different story.
Israeli forces remain in several urban areas, blocking key roads like al-Rashid Street, Gaza’s main coastal route, and reportedly firing on civilians trying to return home.
Civil Defense authorities have warned residents to avoid recently evacuated zones due to the presence of unexploded ordnance and the ongoing risk of further attacks.
As Gaza cautiously embraces the promise of peace, many are left questioning whether this ceasefire signals a true end to the violence or merely another temporary break in a long cycle of devastation and broken promises.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=68271
