Israeli attacks on Gaza killed 10 people and wounded 30 others on Monday, bringing the death toll to 2,034 since a "ceasefire" began in the strip in October last year, as pressure mounts on Hamas to disarm.
Medical sources described heavy clashes and shelling in central Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp as the most serious incidents since October. Residents said the incident began unexpectedly, breaking months of relative calm on Monday afternoon in the eastern part of the camp.
Witnesses said the clashes involved armed groups described as Israeli "collaborators". Local fighters and residents confronted the group, leading to exchanges of gunfire that lasted for more than half an hour, according to witness accounts.
The situation further escalated when Israeli forces intervened. “Artillery shells were fired around the area, and Israeli vehicles opened heavy fire. Drones also launched missiles,” said Mohammed Al Majthoub, 32, who lives in Al Maghazi. "We hadn't heard anything like that since the ceasefire".
Among those killed was Mousa Al Aidi, a security officer known for tracking armed groups and collaborators, a security official told The National. The official added that these groups have continued to operate under Israeli cover.
The casualties, including some who are critically wounded, arrived at Al Aqsa Martyrs' hospital. “The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel from shelling, which indicates direct targeting during the incident,” a medical source at the hospital told The National.
The facility struggled to cope with the influx of casualties due to shortages of medical supplies and emergency equipment, as Israel continues to block life-saving equipment from entering the Strip.
Israel has killed more than 72,312 people and wounded 172,134 others in Gaza in direct strikes since October 7, 2023, local authorities have said. Many people remain trapped and under rubble without sufficient equipment to retrieve them, amid a continuing, Israel-imposed blockade on Gaza that includes heavy machinery.
The incident has raised fears among residents that the fragile calm in Gaza could collapse.
The Gaza Board of Peace, which was created after the so-called ceasefire, which Israel has breached hundreds of times, had given Hamas until the end of the week to accept a proposal for the group to disarm, US and Israeli media reported, quoting sources.
But Hamas told mediators it would not discuss any such proposals before Israel fulfils its obligations under the first phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, sources had earlier told The National.
They said Hamas wanted Israel to first pull back from lands it occupied beyond the ceasefire line drawn under Mr Trump's plan, and to allow sufficient humanitarian assistance and reconstruction materials into the war-battered enclave.
The disarmament of Hamas is part of the second stage of the peace plan. The first phase involved the Palestinian militant group releasing living hostages it seized from Israel, along with the remains of others who died in captivity. In return, Israel released 2,000 Palestinians it had detained, and the remains of another 300.
The Israeli military also pulled back behind a "yellow line" that left it in control of more than half of the coastal strip. However, Israel has continued to carry out attacks that have killed hundreds of Palestinians since the ceasefire came into force in October, and seized territory beyond the yellow line.
