Israeli forces attack central Gaza despite ceasefire agreement
Al Jazeera field footage reports that Israeli forces conducted air strikes near Deir el-Balah in central Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt and Qatar. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said it was assessing civilian casualties following the incident.
Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the ground, said explosions were heard around the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps near Deir el-Balah, with smoke rising from three separate locations. The Palestinian Ministry of Health, under Hamas administration, said preliminary figures indicate that eight civilians have been killed and 31 wounded, with the injured taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strike was 'contrary to the basic principles of the ceasefire accepted within the mediation framework'. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein described the operation as 'a limited pre-emptive strike against a specific threat', adding that the ceasefire remained in effect.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Andrea De Domenico said field mechanisms were re-evaluating checkpoint crossings. US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce called on both sides to 'act in a manner that preserves the value of the ceasefire mechanism'. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said the bloc was monitoring the situation urgently.
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