Deadly Israeli attack mars fragile Gaza truce

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Gaza’s civil defense 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.

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

“The occupation has committed a horrific massacre in the northern Gaza Strip by targeting a group of journalists and humanitarian workers, in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement.

A separate Hamas statement called the attack “a dangerous escalation,” adding that it “reaffirms (Israel’s) intent to backtrack on the ceasefire agreement and intentionally obstruct any opportunity to complete the agreement and carry out the prisoner swap.”

On Saturday, Gaza civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told Agence France-Presse that “nine martyrs have been transferred (to hospital), including several journalists and a number of workers from the Al-Khair Charitable Organization.”

He said the killings were “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.”

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said “nine martyrs and several injured, including critical cases” were taken to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

Israel’s military said it hit “two terrorists... operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops in the area of Beit Lahia.”

“Later, a number of additional terrorists collected the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle. The IDF struck the terrorists.”

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

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

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his negotiating team “to prepare for the continuation” of indirect talks with Hamas on the ceasefire, a statement from his office said Saturday.