Gaza: Europe and the Arab World – Agencies

Israeli warplanes launched more than ten airstrikes on the eastern areas of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian media sources.

In a related development, the sources reported that Israeli forces demolished a number of houses on the eastern outskirts of Gaza City.

The Israeli army stated: "We targeted infrastructure used to store weapons in the Beit Lahia area in the northern Gaza Strip," according to the European news network Euronews in Brussels.

For his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the killings resulting from the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, calling for an end to any actions that could endanger civilians or undermine efforts to solidify the ceasefire.

These events come approximately 24 hours after an Israeli escalation, following the army's announcement that its forces had come under fire in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which it claimed resulted in the deaths of approximately 104 Palestinians, including a number of children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In another development, Israel's Channel 14 reported that Israeli authorities have approved the construction of approximately 1,300 new settlement units in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, located south of occupied Jerusalem.

According to Arab media reports, on a night when the children of Gaza were dreaming of the peace the world had promised them, Israel shattered their tranquility and their lives with missiles. A single night was enough to rewrite a tragedy that Palestinians thought had ended.

One hundred and ten people were killed in less than twelve hours, including 46 children, some as young as two years old, and 20 women who were overjoyed by the first moments of calm after the ceasefire. These are not just numbers; they are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, buried under the rubble as the dream of a ceasefire agreement turned into a nightmare and a cover for the killers. Major Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza, described the scene as "catastrophic," emphasizing that "more than 70% of the martyrs are women and children. Rescue teams are working tirelessly, but resources are overwhelmed, the destruction is widespread, and bodies remain under the rubble... some have been 'vaporized' by the force of the explosions," Bassal said, asking, "Where are the guarantors? Where are the mediators? Where is the world that promised us peace?"

Palestinians say that the Israeli aggression did not stop at targeting homes, but also struck tents for displaced people, schools converted into shelters, and public squares, in crimes that prove Israel knows nothing of humanity and disregards the agreements it has signed.

Since the ceasefire was declared on October 10, 211 Palestinians have been killed, including about 70 children, while more than 9,500 bodies remain under the rubble since the war began on October 7, 2023..