18:59 BST 19 October
Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
The Khan Younis skyline following Israeli air strikes
In southern Gaza, residents have reported at least 12 air strikes in
eastern Khan Younis – part of what people described as a “fire belt”.
The
attacks sent plumes of smoke rising above the city and caused panic among
displaced families sheltering in nearby areas.
The latest escalation came just hours after Israeli
war planes struck several sites in Rafah, following clashes between Hamas gunmen
and a pro-Israeli militia operating behind the so-called “yellow line” – an area
under Israeli military control.
Residents reported intense air raids and
artillery shelling near the European Hospital, though there were no confirmed
casualties at the time.
Hamas has sought to distance itself from the Rafah
incident, saying the fighters involved had lost contact with the movement long
ago.
In a statement, Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s
political bureau, condemned the renewed Israeli attacks, calling them “a
blatant violation of the ceasefire and an attempt to provoke the resistance and
derail the mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar”.
He said Hamas remained
committed to the Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement, but warned that continued
Israeli strikes could “push the situation toward a total collapse”.
The air strikes have shattered a fragile sense of calm in
Gaza, where residents had only just begun to feel a brief respite after nearly
two years of war.
The return of bombardment has reignited fear and anxiety
among Gazans, with prices of basic goods rising again and many families staying
indoors, fearing a full return to fighting.