Israeli airstrikes have continued across the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel was announced on Wednesday, with northern Gaza bearing the brunt of the attacks.
Palestine Civil Defense, an emergency services the organization said that more than twenty children were among the dead and more than 200 people were injured throughout the area. The Civil Defense said the highest casualties were in Gaza City, where more than 80 Palestinians were killed.
The group's figures could not be independently verified. The Israeli army did not immediately comment.
Wafa, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority, said that Israeli warplanes hit houses in the northeast of Gaza City, resulting in deaths and injuries. Vafa said that rescuers and emergency teams could not reach the area to remove the bodies.
Ahmad al-Mashharwi, who took refuge in a rented house with more than ten family members in Gaza City, called the attacks merciless.
“The ceasefire seems pointless,” he said in a telephone interview. “Artillery and air attacks continue around us, especially in the north of Gaza.”
The ceasefire, if it comes into force, should pave the way for this More humanitarian aid will be sent to Gaza. Mr. al-Mashharwi said the situation in northern Gaza is dire, prices are rising and even the most basic goods are scarce.
“We can't get food or clean water and my children are starving,” she said. “We've been stripped of everything – no security, no resources, nothing to help us survive.”