The toll of deaths in Gaza from heavy overnight Israeli attacks reached 81 on Wednesday, hospital officials said, in what constitutes a draconian test of the US-mediated ceasefire agreement. The dead comprise many women and children, officials warned, and the number is poised to swell further.
Growing Casualties Are Reported Throughout Gaza Hospitals
Hospital authorities throughout the Gaza Strip reported an alarming number of deaths after the intensive shelling.
Shifa Hospital: Director Mohammed Abu Selmia verified that Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital had received 21 more bodies, making the total deaths from the attacks stand at 81. Seven women and six children are among the recent victims. The death toll is likely to rise, Selmia added, as 45 injured victims are still in a critical condition.
Al-Awda Hospital (Central Gaza): The hospital confirmed receiving 30 bodies, 14 of which were children.
Nasser Hospital (Khan Younis, Southern Gaza): Staff confirmed that the hospital received 20 bodies after five Israeli attacks in the area, and 13 of the fatalities were children and two women.
Aqsa Hospital (Deir al-Balah, Central Gaza): The hospital received at least 10 bodies, among them three women and six children, after two overnight Israeli attacks.
Ceasefire Under Strain After Israeli Retaliation
The Israeli military affirmed that the ceasefire, which has been in effect, was back in place following the overnight strikes. It stated that Israeli troops would continue to uphold the truce but reserved the right to “firmly respond” to any violation.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the order for the “powerful strikes,” accusing the Palestinian militant group Hamas of breaking the tenuous truce. Reacting to the Israeli move, Hamas declared a postponement of the transfer of the body of another hostage.
The order by the Israeli government followed a reported exchange of fire in Rafah, in which an Israeli soldier was killed.
US President Trump Justifies Israeli Action
US President Donald Trump, who facilitated the Gaza peace deal, stood up for the Israeli airstrikes. Trump claimed that Israel had every right to conduct the airstrikes after the shooting incident in Rafah, where he accused Hamas of killing an Israeli soldier.
Hamas, on the other hand, refuted any role in the fatal shooting and retaliated by accusing Israel of being the party that broke the ceasefire agreement.
ALSO READ | Bihar Election 2025: Tejashwi Yadav Littering Video Sparks ‘Swachh Bharat’ Row Ahead Of Polls