Israel intensified strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave said, and mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce’s start on Sunday.
At least 12 people were killed and several wounded in shelling in a residential block of the northern Gaza strip, Palestinian civil defence reported on early on Thursday.
The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel brought “much-needed hope to millions of people” in Gaza, but it will be a challenge getting aid to survivors of the conflict.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed a ceasefire in Gaza, saying “peace is the best medicine” as health needs in Gaza remain “enormous”.
“Too many lives have been lost and too many families have suffered,” Tedros said on X.
Hamas’ acting Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya pays tribute to Iran-allied groups across the region that launched attacks on Israel and opened “support fronts” to back Palestinians in Gaza, including the Houthis in Yemen and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Al-Hayya also expressed gratitude to Qatar and Egypt for helping reach the ceasefire agreement as well as Turkiye, South Africa and Malaysia for showing solidarity with Palestinians.
The Hamas official added that protesters across the world helped “break the silence” about atrocities in Gaza.
Mohammed Abdul Salam, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, says the “great sacrifices” of the Palestinian fighters and their continued resolve in confronting Israel despite the assassination of their leaders – including Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar – forced the Israeli government to accept a ceasefire.
Abdul Salam said the Houthis, who have carried out hundreds of attacks on Israel, as well as shipping in the Red Sea, since the war on Gaza, had no choice but to enter the conflict in support of the Palestinians.
“This did not dampen resolve, but rather motivated and encouraged us to assume the responsibility of supporting Gaza, which is a religious and humanitarian responsibility for which the entire nation is responsible,” he said.
“The Israeli invasion of Gaza left no room for our dear people, who are saturated with the spirit of faith, to participate and support in fulfilling their responsibility towards an oppressed people who are being subjected to genocidal massacres before the eyes and ears of the entire world.”
