Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza ahead of a planned ceasefire agreement and hostage exchange deal with Hamas, which is expected to come into effect on Sunday, pending Israeli cabinet approval.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency reported that 73 people were killed overnight following the announcement of the deal. Among the victims were 12 residents of a residential block in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, according to the health ministry.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) initially reported a “fallen projectile” in southern Israel on Thursday but later retracted the statement, attributing it to a misidentification.
Meanwhile, the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency confirmed that strikes had targeted 50 locations in the past 24 hours, including an individual allegedly involved in the 7 October Hamas attack.
In Gaza City’s Baptist Hospital, Dr Amjad Eliwah described a harrowing scene: “The injured kept on coming. The dead were sent directly to the morgue. For a little while, everyone was happy and joyful following the news of the ceasefire. Then the same people who were happy were dead.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to ratify the ceasefire agreement in parliament on Thursday.
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However, his office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the deal, causing a “last-minute crisis.” The cabinet will not meet until Hamas fully agrees to the terms.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya reportedly assured mediators Qatar and Egypt of the group’s commitment to the agreement.
Despite threats from right-wing ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir to resign if the ceasefire proceeds, analysts believe their departures would not prevent Netanyahu from implementing the deal.
The initial six-week phase of the agreement will involve the release of 33 hostages, including women, children, and elderly individuals, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces are set to withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, enabling displaced residents to begin returning home. Aid delivery, long hampered by the conflict, will also resume, with hundreds of trucks permitted entry daily.
Negotiations for subsequent phases will address the release of remaining hostages, a full Israeli withdrawal, and efforts toward lasting peace.
The final stage will focus on returning the bodies of deceased hostages and reconstructing Gaza, a task United Nations Development Programme official Achim Steiner called “a very complex undertaking.” He noted the removal of 40 million tons of “toxic” rubble as a critical first step.
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