Despite ceasefire deal Israel bombs site hosted Israeli hostage: Hamas
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Gaza: Israel military bombed a site in the Gaza strip that lodged an Israeli hostage, who was scheduled to be released in the first phase of the upcoming prisoner exchange, Hamas said. The release of hostages was brokered along with the ceasefire deal.
It was the military wing of Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades that informed the attack on the site, which was bombed shortly after the ceasefire agreement was announced, Xinhua news agency reported.
Al-Qassam spokesperson Abu Ubaida said that any aggression or bombing at the current stage by Israel could turn the freedom of a captive into a tragedy. However, his statement did not contain further details about the captive, such as his health condition, details of the attack or the targeted location.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza announced on Friday that 73 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Strip since the ceasefire agreement was declared.
In a press statement, Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said, “Since the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army has killed 73 people as of this morning, including 61 in Gaza City alone.”
Among the victims were 20 children and 25 women, in addition to 230 others wounded to varying degrees, according to Basal.
Last night, Egypt, Qatar, and the US announced in a joint statement that both sides of the conflict in Gaza had reached an agreement for a prisoner exchange and a return to sustained calm, paving the way for a permanent ceasefire.