[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

Trump taps Tony Blair, US military head for Gaza

US President Donald Trump on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British prime minister Tony Blair and appointed a US officer to lead a nascent security force.

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Trump taps Tony Blair, US military head for Gaza

AFP Washington, United States
Published: 17 Jan 2026, 08: 22

A Palestinian woman walks on the debris in a room, after an Israeli military attack on the home of the al-Houli family, in which four people were reportedly killed, west of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on 16 January 2026. AFP

US President Donald Trump on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British prime minister Tony Blair and appointed a US officer to lead a nascent security force.

Trump named members of a board to help supervise Gaza that was dominated by Americans, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in a territory that lies in rubble after two-plus years of relentless Israeli bombardment.

The step came after a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern Gaza held its first meeting in Cairo which was attended by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law who plays a key role on the Middle East.

Trump has already declared himself the chair of a "Board of Peace" and on Friday announced its full membership that will include Blair as well as senior Americans -- Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Trump's business partner turned globe-trotting negotiator.

Blair is a controversial figure in the Middle East because of his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Trump himself said last year that he wanted to make sure Blair was an "acceptable choice to everybody."

Blair spent years focused on the Israeli-Palestinian issue as representative of the "Middle East Quartet" -- the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia -- after leaving Downing Street in 2007.

The White House said the Board of Peace will take on issues such as "governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding and capital mobilization."

Trump, a real-estate developer, has previously mused about turning devastated Gaza into a Riviera-style area of resorts, although he has backed away from calls to forcibly displace the population.

The other members of the board are World Bank President Ajay Banga, an Indian-born American businessman; billionaire US financier Marc Rowan; and Robert Gabriel, a loyal Trump aide who serves on the National Security Council.

Israel strikes

Israel's military said Friday it had again hit the Gaza Strip in response to a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire declared in October.

The strikes come despite Washington announcing that the Gaza plan had gone on to a second phrase -- from implementing the ceasefire to disarming Hamas, whose October, 2023 attack on Israel prompted the massive Israeli offensive.

Trump on Friday named US Major General Jasper Jeffers to head the International Stabilization Force, which will be tasked with providing security in Gaza and training a new police force to succeed Hamas.

Jeffers, from special operations in US Central Command, in late 2024 was put in charge of monitoring a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which has continued periodic strikes aimed at Hezbollah militants.

The United States has been searching the world for countries to contribute to the force, with Indonesia an early volunteer.

But diplomats expect challenges in seeing countries send troops so long as Hamas does not agree to disarm fully.

Committee begins work

Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath was earlier tapped to head the governing committee.

The committee's meeting in Cairo also included Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who was given a role of high representative liaising between the new governing body and Trump's Board of Peace.

Committee members are scheduled to meet again Saturday, one of them told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"We hope to go to Gaza next week or the week after; our work is there, and we need to be there," he said.

Trump also named a second "executive board" that appears designed to have a more advisory role.

Blair, Witkoff and Mladenov will serve on it as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.


Israel has refused a Turkish role in the security force, owing to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fiery denunciations of Israel's actions in Gaza.

The board will also include senior figures from mediators Egypt and Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020.

Trump also named to the board Sigrid Kaag, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, despite his administration's efforts to sideline the world body.​

 

[Saif]

Israel begins demolitions at UNRWA HQ in east Jerusalem

Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organisation called an ‘unprecedented attack’.

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Israel begins demolitions at UNRWA HQ in east Jerusalem
Agence France-Presse . Jerusalem, Undefined 21 January, 2026, 04:45

Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organisation called an ‘unprecedented attack’.

UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement to AFP that Israeli forces ‘stormed into’ the compound shortly after 7:00am (0500 GMT) and ejected security guards from the site, before bulldozers entered and began demolishing buildings.

‘This is an unprecedented attack against UNRWA and its premises. And it also constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,’ Fowler said.

‘What happens today to UNRWA can happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission around the world, he added.

Roland Friedrich, the agency’s director in the West Bank called the move political, telling AFP ‘it seems the intent is to seize the land for settlement construction as has openly been stated by Israeli officials for many years in the media and elsewhere’.

AFP photos showed heavy machinery demolishing structures at the compound, where an Israeli flag fluttered overhead.

An AFP photographer reported that far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir had made a brief visit to the site.

‘This is a historic day, a day of celebration and a very important day for governance in Jerusalem,’ Ben Gvir was quoted as saying in a statement.

‘For years, these supporters of terrorism were here, and today they are being removed from here along with everything they built in this place. This is what will happen to every supporter of terrorism,’ he added.

Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

A series of investigations, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some ‘neutrality-related issues’ at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.

In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry defended the demolitions and said ‘the State of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound’.

The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip.

‘UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there,’ the foreign ministry said.

‘The compound does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law,’ it said.

UNRWA’s Friedrich said the UN rejected the Israeli claim and insisted that the compound ‘remains United Nations property and is protected by the privileges and immunities of the UN, regardless of whether it is currently in use’.

Though the UNRWA ban applies in east Jerusalem due to its annexation by Israel, the agency still operates in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini also denounced the demolitions on X, saying it was yet another attempt by ‘Israeli authorities to erase the Palestine Refugee identity’.

As the UN agency created specifically for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes during the creation of Israel in 1948, UNRWA provides refugee status registration, as well as health and education services for Palestinian refugees.

Along with refugee status, which is passed on through generations, comes the right of return, which Israel contests, and is one of the most contentious issues for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Months after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli authorities declared Guterres and Lazzarini personae non gratae in Israel.

Jordan’s foreign affairs ministry ‘strongly condemned’ the demolition, calling it ‘a blatant violation of international law’.

The UNRWA compound was a prison during the time of the Ottoman Empire, and later became property of the Jordanian government, which subsequently transferred it to UNRWA.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli strike kills two teenagers in Gaza

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed two teenagers in a drone strike on Saturday, while the military said it eliminated two ‘terrorists’ who planted an explosive device near troops.

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Israeli strike kills two teenagers in Gaza
Agence France-Presse . Gaza City 25 January, 2026, 01:12

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed two teenagers in a drone strike on Saturday, while the military said it eliminated two ‘terrorists’ who planted an explosive device near troops.

The civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas authority, said the drone killed the two near Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.

The territory’s Al‑Shifa Hospital said it received the two bodies, adding they were two boys aged 13 and 15.

The military said the pair had posed an ‘immediate threat’ to its soldiers.

‘Earlier today troops operating in the northern Gaza Strip identified several terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line, planted an explosive device in the area, and approached the troops, posing an immediate threat to them,’ the military said in a statement.

Under a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, Israeli forces have withdrawn to positions behind a so-called ‘Yellow Line’ in Gaza, though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.

‘Following the identification, the Israeli air force struck and eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat,’ the military said.

A military press officer said that its troops had ‘killed two terrorists and not children’, without specifying the ages of those killed.

The civil defence said another fatality was also reported in a separate incident when an Israeli quadcopter struck a group of civilians in Jabalia, also in northern Gaza.

It did not provide details on the person killed in that incident.

The press officer said the military had reports of only one incident.

Israeli forces have killed at least 477 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority.

The Israeli army says Palestinian militants have killed four of its soldiers during the same period.

Media restrictions in Gaza and limited access to many areas mean AFP cannot independently verify casualty figures and details provided by either side.

The ceasefire has largely halted fighting between Israel and Hamas, but both sides have accused each other of violating its terms.​

 

[Saif]

Israel retrieves last hostage body from Gaza in boost for Trump plan

Israel has retrieved the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, the military said on Monday, fulfilling a key condition of the initial phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war. The remains of police officer Ran Gvili have been identified and will be returned for b

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Israel retrieves last hostage body from Gaza in boost for Trump plan

REUTERS
Published :
Jan 26, 2026 23:08
Updated :
Jan 26, 2026 23:08
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A sign depicting Ran Gvili, the last hostage remaining in Gaza following the deadly Oct 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, says in Hebrew "Rani, hero of Israel, we're waiting for you at home", on the outside of the family home in Meitar, Israel Dec 7, 2025. According to his mother, Ran Gvili, who served in an elite Israeli police unit, was injured fighting during the attack and later confirmed dead. Photo : REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Israel has retrieved the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, the military said on Monday, fulfilling a key condition of the initial phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.

The remains of police officer Ran Gvili have been identified and will be returned for burial, the military said in a statement.

Gvili's remains had been held in Gaza since he was killed during Hamas' attack on Oct 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group led an attack on southern Israeli communities, triggering a two-year Israeli offensive.

Israel has said it will reopen Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the enclave's main gateway to the world, once the search operation for Gvili's remains was completed.

A government spokesperson had no immediate comment when asked when the border crossing would be reopened.

The Palestinian committee of technocrats backed by the US to administer Gaza has said the border would open this week.

NEXT PHASE OF DEAL

Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in October that was meant to see a complete halt in fighting as well as the return of all living and deceased hostages in exchange for the release of some Palestinians held in Israeli detention.

Gvili was one of the 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by militants during the Oct 7, 2023 attack. At the time of the deal, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, 28 of them believed dead, including Gvili.

Even before Gvili's body had been found, the Trump administration announced that the deal would move on to its next phase, which is meant to include reconstruction of Gaza and demilitarisation of the territory.

In a statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the discovery of Gvili's remains confirms Hamas' commitment to the US plan to end the war.

"We will continue to uphold all aspects of the agreement, including facilitating the work of the national Gaza administration and ensuring its success," Qassem said, referring to the committee of technocrats.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli strikes kill 12 in Gaza, health ministry says

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 12 people, the Palestinian health ministry said, with children reported to be among the fatalities in the latest violence rattling a tenuous ceasefire. One airstrike hit an apartment in Gaza City killing three children and two women, according to a family

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Israeli strikes kill 12 in Gaza, health ministry says

REUTERS
Published :
Jan 31, 2026 16:43
Updated :
Jan 31, 2026 16:43

A Palestinian inspects the site of an Israeli strike on Saturday, in Gaza City, January 31, 2026. Photo : REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 12 people, the Palestinian health ministry said, with children reported to be among the fatalities in the latest violence rattling a tenuous ceasefire.

One airstrike hit an apartment in Gaza City killing three children and two women, according to a family member and the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Another airstrike hit a tent in Khan Younis, further south, according to WAFA.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report and did not immediately say whether it had carried out airstrikes in the enclave.

Video showed charred, blackened and destroyed walls at an apartment in a multi-storey building, and debris scattered inside it and outside on the Gaza City street.

"We found my three little nieces in the street, they say ceasefire and all, what did those children do, what did we do?" said Samer al-Atbash, a relative.

Israeli fire has killed more than 500 people, most of them civilians according to Gaza health officials, since a US-brokered truce between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel took effect in October after two years of war.

Palestinian militants have killed four Israeli soldiers since the truce, according to Israeli authorities.

On Friday, the Israeli military said that its forces identified eight gunmen emerging from a tunnel in Rafah, in southern Gaza. Three of them were killed and a fourth, whom it described as a key Hamas commander in the area, was arrested.

The two sides have traded blame over truce violations, even as Washington presses them to proceed to the next phases of the ceasefire deal meant to end the war for good.

The next phase of US President Donald Trump's plan includes complex issues such as Hamas disarmament, which the group has long rejected, further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.

Gaza's main gateway, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt that has been largely shut during the war, is expected to reopen on Sunday.​

 

[Saif]

Israel to partially reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing

A source at the border told AFP that Sunday would be largely devoted to preparations and logistical arrangements.

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Israel to partially reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing

AFP Rafah, Palestinian Territories
Published: 01 Feb 2026, 12: 48

An empty truck waits on the Gaza border with Egypt at Rafah for the aid trucks to cross from northern Egypt on 21 October, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Cargo planes and trucks have been bringing humanitarian aid to Rafah for days, but so far none has been delivered to Gaza which has been under intense Israeli bombardment for almost two weeks since the deadly 7 October attacks. AFP

Israel is set to partially reopen the Rafah crossing between the war-devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt on Sunday, following months of urging from humanitarian organisations, though access will be limited to the movement of people.

The reopening comes amid ongoing violence in the Palestinian territory, with Gaza’s civil defence agency reporting dozens killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday, while the Israeli military said it was retaliating against ceasefire violations.

The Rafah crossing is a vital gateway for both civilians and aid, but has remained closed since Israeli forces seized control of it in May 2024 during the war with Hamas, aside from a brief and limited reopening in early 2025.


Israel had previously said it would not reopen the crossing until the remains of Ran Gvili—the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza—were returned.

His remains were recovered days ago and he was laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday.

“The Rafah Crossing will open this coming Sunday (February 1st) in both directions, for limited movement of people only,” COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Friday.

Entry and exit “will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission”, it added.

However, key details remain unclear, including how many people will be allowed to cross and whether those seeking to return to Gaza will be permitted entry.

A source at the border told AFP that Sunday would be largely devoted to preparations and logistical arrangements.

The crossing is set to open on Sunday on a trial basis to allow the passage of wounded individuals, ahead of a regular reopening scheduled for Monday, three sources at the crossing said.

However, no agreement has yet been reached on the number of Palestinians permitted to enter or exit, the sources added, noting that Egypt plans to admit “all Palestinians whom Israel authorises to leave” the territory.

“Every day that passes drains my life and worsens my condition,” said Mohammed Shamiya, 33, who suffers from kidney disease and requires dialysis treatment abroad.

“I’m waiting every moment for the opening of the Rafah land crossing.”

Anxious wait

Safa al-Hawajri, who has received a scholarship to study overseas, is also eagerly awaiting the reopening on Sunday.

“I’m waiting in the hope of fulfilling my ambition, which is tied to the reopening of the crossing,” said Hawajri, 18.

“I hope to be able to travel as soon as it opens.”

Located on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, Rafah is the only crossing into and out of the territory that does not pass through Israel.

The crossing lies in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind the so-called “Yellow Line” under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on 10 October.

Israeli troops still control more than half of Gaza, while the rest remains under Hamas authority.

The ceasefire has now entered its second phase and calls for reopening the crossing following the release or return of all Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants.

Hamas had called for its full reopening in both directions after the remains of Gvili were brought back to Israel.

The reopening is expected to facilitate the entry of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established to oversee the day-to-day governance of the territory’s 2.2 million residents.

The committee is to operate under the supervision of the so-called “Board of Peace” chaired by US President Donald Trump.

The NCAG, headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, is expected to enter the Gaza Strip once the Rafah crossing reopens.

Violence continued ahead of the crossing’s reopening.

At least 32 people, including children, were killed on Saturday in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, reported the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under the Hamas authority.

Israel’s military said the strikes were retaliation for an incident on Friday in which eight Palestinian fighters exited a tunnel in the city of Rafah, which it said violated the ceasefire.​

 

[Saif]

Israel says partially reopened Gaza's Rafah crossing

Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing between the devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt on Sunday, following months of appeals from aid groups, though access is limited to pedestrians.

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Israel says partially reopened Gaza's Rafah crossing

AFP Rafah
Published: 02 Feb 2026, 09: 42

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, after passing through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt, on 1 February, 2026. AFP

Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing between the devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt on Sunday, following months of appeals from aid groups, though access is limited to pedestrians.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body coordinating Palestinian civilian affairs, made no mention of allowing in a long hoped-for surge of aid, and clarified that the passage of individuals through the gateway in both directions was expected to begin today, Monday.

Rafah is considered a key entry point for supplies into the devastated Palestinian territory, where humanitarian conditions remain dire after two years of war in spite of a ceasefire in place since 10 October.

The crossing has been closed since Israeli forces seized control of it in May 2024 during the war with Hamas, aside from a brief and limited reopening in early 2025.


COGAT said on Sunday that the "Rafah Crossing was opened today for the limited passage of residents only", but later added that the "movement of residents in both directions, entry and exit to and from Gaza, is expected to begin tomorrow".

An official at Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, said that about 200 patients were waiting to be permitted to leave the territory once the crossing opened.

AFP footage showed a queue of ambulances entering the crossing from the Egyptian side, though sources said none had been allowed into Gaza yet.

"The opening of Rafah opens a small door of hope for patients, students and people in Gaza," Amin Al-Hilu, 53, who lives in a tent in the territory's Al-Shati camp, told AFP.

"We need the crossing to fully open for travel and bringing in goods without Israeli restrictions, and this I think will require major pressure on Israel."

No displacement of Gazans

A Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity that a group of "around 40 Palestinians affiliated with the Palestinian Authority has arrived on the Egyptian side of the crossing" and was also waiting to be allowed in.

Egypt's state-linked Cairo News reported that the Egyptian side of the crossing would remain open "round the clock" and that Egyptian hospitals were prepared to receive patients coming from Gaza.

The leaders of Egypt and Jordan meanwhile renewed their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

During a meeting in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II "renewed their affirmation of Egypt and Jordan's firm stance rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land", according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

The two also called for "unrestricted humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip".

Israel had previously said it would not reopen the crossing until the body of Ran Gvili -- the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza -- was returned.

His remains were recovered days ago and he was laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday, with COGAT announcing the reopening two days later.

COGAT described Sunday's reopening as "an initial pilot phase", coordinated with the European Union, adding the parties were carrying out "preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing".

Adam Awad, 19, was among those waiting to travel through the Rafah crossing, hoping to join a civil engineering programme at a university in Turkey.

"My generation and I deserve a chance at life and to build a future," he said. "We are still living in fear and anxiety, without shelter, water or electricity."

Deadly violence

Located on Gaza's southern border with Egypt, Rafah is the only crossing into and out of the territory that does not pass through Israel.

It lies in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind the so-called "Yellow Line" under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire.

Israeli troops still control more than half of Gaza, while the rest remains under Hamas authority.

"We call on the mediators and guarantor states of the (ceasefire) agreement to monitor the occupation's behaviour at the Rafah crossing to prevent Gaza from facing a new Israeli siege," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.

The reopening is expected to facilitate the entry of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established under the ceasefire agreement to oversee the territory's day-to-day governance.

However, the NCAG, headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, was not expected to enter on Sunday, a member of the committee said.

Deadly violence preceded the reopening of Rafah crossing, with the civil defence agency in Gaza reporting at least 32 people killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday.

The military said it struck in retaliation for ceasefire violations when eight militants emerged out of tunnel in Rafah on Friday.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli strikes kill 23 in Gaza

Gazan health officials said Israeli air strikes on Wednesday killed 23 people, with Israel’s military saying it struck after one of its officers was wounded by enemy gunfire...

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Israeli strikes kill 23 in Gaza
Agence France-Presse . Gaza City 05 February, 2026, 01:19

Palestinians make their way through the rublle of destroyed buildings in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City on February 4, 2026. | AFP photo

Gazan health officials said Israeli air strikes on Wednesday killed 23 people, with Israel’s military saying it struck after one of its officers was wounded by enemy gunfire.

Despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the agreement.

The latest bloodshed came days after Israel partly reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only exit for Gazans that does not pass through Israel.

The Gazan health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, said that 21 people were killed, including three children, in a series of strikes, with at least 38 others wounded.

The Gaza civil defence agency said that two additional people were killed and eight injured in a strike on a tent in the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army said its retaliatory strike targeted a Hamas platoon commander named Bilal Abu Assi who led an assault on a kibbutz on October 7, 2023.

The Israeli army said it took steps ‘to mitigate farm to civilians as much as possible’ in its latest strikes.

‘We were sleeping when suddenly shells and gunfire rained down on us,’ said Abu Mohammed Haboush, whose son was killed.

‘Young children were martyred, my son and my nephew were among the dead. We lost many young men,’ he said, adding that he and his family were living far away from the so-called ‘Yellow Line,’ where Israeli forces are stationed.

AFP images showed mourners offering prayers in the compound of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where several bodies wrapped in white shrouds were laid out.

An AFP photograph showed a person holding the body of a child wrapped in a shroud as relatives gathered around him.

Three bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital after Israeli strikes hit homes and tents housing displaced Palestinians in the southern Khan Yunis area, Gaza’s civil defence agency said.

Fourteen more bodies were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, its director Mohamed Abu Salmiya said in a statement.

‘We also received dozens of wounded. The situation is extremely difficult in the hospitals of the Gaza Strip due to the severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies,’ Abu Salmiya said.

Israel scrutinises all aid coming into besieged Gaza.

The Israeli military said it had launched strikes after ‘terrorists opened fire on troops’ Wednesday, seriously wounding an officer, adding that it considers the incident a violation of the ceasefire.

It said the troops came under attack near the ‘Yellow Line’, without specifying which side of the line the troops were on.

This week, Israel allowed the reopening of the Rafah crossing, reportedly following US pressure, but limited passage to patients and their travel companions.

Sick and wounded Gazans have begun crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment since Monday.

On Tuesday, 45 people crossed into Egypt and 42 entered the territory, a source at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, those meant to enter during the day on Tuesday arrived in Gaza through Rafah in a large bus, an AFP journalist reported.

Relatives of those returning from Egypt screamed in joy, hugging and crying.

‘I am so happy to be back with my husband, my children, my family, my loved ones, and of course, my homeland,’ Fariza Barabakh, who returned that day, said.

‘It’s an indescribable feeling, thank God. What can I say? My two young children didn’t recognise me, but thank God. I hope it will be alright,’ Yusef Abu Fahma, another returnee, said.

Gaza’s health ministry says at least 556 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, while the Israeli military says four of its soldiers have been killed over the same period.

Saturday was among the deadliest days, with the civil defence agency reporting at least 32 people killed in Israeli attacks, which the military said were in response to a Hamas ceasefire violation.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.​