At least 86 Palestinians killed in Gaza after ceasefire announcement

At least 86 Palestinians, including 23 children, were killed in Gaza following Wednesday's announcement of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, the Palestinian Civil Defense said on Thursday evening, amid ongoing Israeli attacks on the strip.

Of the total deaths, 73 were reported in the Gaza City in the north, four in central Gaza, and nine in the south, the Civil Defense said in a press statement.

The dead included 23 children and 27 women, while more than 258 others sustained varying injuries, according to the statement.

For its part, the Israeli army said that its air force targeted about 50 sites across Gaza in the past hours.

The targets included members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, military buildings, weapon storage facilities, rocket-launching sites, weapons production sites, and observation posts, it said in a press release.

It also accused Hamas of "systematically violating international law by brutally exploiting civilian institutions and populations as human shields for its activities," adding that it will continue to act decisively against such organizations.

Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, which have been mediating between Israel and Hamas to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza, announced in a joint statement that the two parties had reached an agreement for a prisoner and hostage exchange, along with a return to sustainable calm, aiming for a permanent ceasefire between them.

The agreement is expected to take effect on Sunday.Since Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas and Israel have been engaged in a fierce conflict that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza and caused unprecedented destruction. The conflict began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing Israelis and taking hostages.

xinhua