Gaza: Nine Palestinians were martyred and several others injured in renewed airstrikes by Israeli occupying forces across several areas in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, in spite of the recently reached ceasefire agreement.
According to Kuwait News Agency, five Palestinians were martyred and several others injured when an Israeli occupation drone attacked eastern Gaza City, as reported by medical sources quoted by the Palestinian news agency (WAFA). In a separate incident, four more Palestinians were martyred and numerous others sustained injuries in an Israeli artillery strike targeting the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
In addition to these attacks, many Palestinians were injured while attempting to return home in the areas of Rafah and Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation on the ground.
The ceasefire was expected to commence at 08:30 local time; however, Israeli occupation officials stated that they would not adhere to the agreement until Hamas provided the names of detainees to be released. On the other hand, Hamas attributed the delay to "technical field reasons."
The terms of the ceasefire include a three-stage process beginning with an initial six-week phase, during which prisoners held by Hamas will be exchanged for prisoners and detainees held in Israeli occupation prisons. The agreement stipulates that nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including 737 male, female, and teen-aged prisoners, are to be released from Israeli jails.
The recent escalation by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of more than 46,000 people, injuries to over 100,000 others, and the displacement of a significant portion of the enclave's population of 2.3 million.