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At least nine Palestinians, including children, were killed on Thursday in a series of Israeli air and drone strikes targeting displacement tents and shelter schools across the Gaza Strip, which Hamas described as a deliberate attempt to undermine the ceasefire and block its next phase.
The attacks occurred in areas previously designated as safe zones, including Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025.
Gaza’s Civil Defense said three civilians were killed in an Israeli strike on the Al-Mawasi district of Khan Younis. Nasser Hospital later confirmed receiving the bodies of a woman and two children.
In northern Gaza, a drone strike on a school sheltering displaced families in the Jabalia refugee camp killed one man and wounded eight others, including children. A separate strike on the Khalifa School in Beit Lahiya left three Palestinians injured. Additional attacks in the Al-Attar area of Khan Younis and northwest of Deir al-Balah claimed two more lives.
Earlier the same day, Israeli gunfire killed a girl in the Jabalia camp and a young man in the Sheikh Nasser neighborhood. A man was also wounded by gunfire in Gaza City’s Zeitoun district.
Following the strikes, Hamas accused Israel of deliberately attempting to derail the ceasefire process and block the transition to its second phase. In a statement, the group said the latest assaults, which killed seven Palestinians—mostly children—within 24 hours, marked a dangerous escalation and a clear violation of the truce.
"This is a deliberate effort to sabotage the ceasefire, evade the commitments outlined in the agreement, and block progress toward the second phase," the statement read.
Hamas called on mediating and guarantor states to pressure Israel to halt its violations, specifically naming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as responsible for what it described as attacks based on "fabricated and weak pretexts." The group also urged international actors to condemn the strikes, reopen the Rafah Border Crossing in both directions, and push for full Israeli compliance with the ceasefire terms.
In a separate statement, the group also reaffirmed its support for transferring administrative control of Gaza to a non-factional, technocratic committee, stating that it does not intend to take part in future governance and will facilitate the handover to a body operating under the Palestinian government.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to unveil the second phase of his Gaza proposal, including the establishment of a peace council and governing bodies to oversee postwar administration.
Trump’s 20-point plan, announced in September 2025, called for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives, Israeli withdrawal, the creation of a technocratic authority, and deployment of an international stabilization force.
On Nov. 18, the UN Security Council approved a U.S.-backed resolution authorizing a temporary international force to operate in Gaza through the end of 2027 under a unified command.
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