A Palestinian man cries over the bodies of loved ones at Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City after they were killed in a reported Israeli strike south of Gaza City. AFP
At least 29 people were killed and 51 others injured in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
According to WAFA news agency, three Palestinians were killed in Juhor ad-Dik, central Gaza.
The attack on central Gaza comes after an Israeli air strike on the northern town of Beit Lahia killed 10 Palestinians, including journalists and humanitarian aid workers from the Al-Khair Charitable Organization on Saturday.
The airstrikes on Saturday are the deadliest since 19 January, when the Gaza ceasefire - brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US - went into effect.
Condemning the attack as a "heinous massacre," the Gaza Media Office said "We have observed the occupation deliberately escalating its field crimes against civilians in recent weeks, targeting individuals collecting firewood or inspecting their homes, resulting in their deaths by Israeli army fire," the Gaza Media Office said in a statement.
While the Israeli military claimed the strike had killed six terrorists, the office refuted these claims, as the targeted individuals were all civilians working in a sheltered area and documenting its conditions for a charitable organization.
Hamas referred to the attack as an "escalation" and a "deliberate sabotage of any opportunity to complete the [ceasefire] agreement's implementation," by the Israeli occupation.
The first phase of the ceasefire expired on 1 March, and agreement on the second phase has yet to be reached. However, Israel has since renewed its deadly blockade on Gaza, preventing food, water, fuel, and humanitarian aid from entering the war-devastated strip in addition to cutting off the electricity.
The blockade led to a steep decline in local humanitarian services and the disappearance of essential goods from markets, with municipalities, local authorities, and service institutions reporting the suspension or collapse of their operations.
Following a threat by the Israeli occupation to cut off the Mekorot water line, which supplies 70% of the strip's daily needs, the Gaza Municipality warned of an impending crisis and called on international organizations to intervene urgently.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed 48,543 and wounded 111,981 since 7 October.
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