Deadly Israeli strikes mar fragile Gaza truce

Published: 6:13am, 16 Mar 2025Updated: 6:31am, 16 Mar 2025

Gaza’s civil defence agency said nine people including journalists were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, attacks which could further endanger the fragile truce in the Palestinian territory.

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Following the reported strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire took hold on January 19, Hamas accused Israel of a “blatant violation” of the truce which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting.

The first phase of the truce ended on March 1 without agreement on the next steps, but both Israel and Hamas have refrained from returning to all-out war.

A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday that fresh talks had begun in Doha, with Israel also sending negotiators.

On Saturday, Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said “nine martyrs have been transferred [to hospital], including several journalists and a number of workers from the Al-Khair Charitable Organisation”.

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He said the killings were “as a result of the occupation [Israel] targeting a vehicle with a drone in the town of Beit Lahia, coinciding with artillery shelling on the same area”.

  

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