GAZA CITY, Palestine: Israeli aircraft and tanks struck various areas across eastern Gaza on Thursday, Palestinian witnesses and residents said, in the latest testing of a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.
The Palestinian health ministry said the strikes followed Israeli accusations that fighters had attacked Israeli forces inside areas Israel says it controls.
Witnesses in Khan Younis in southern Gaza reported about 10 airstrikes, while residents in northern Gaza said tanks shelled districts east of Gaza City.
“We’re scared that another war will break out,” said Fathi Al-Najjar, a displaced man sheltering in a tent camp in Khan Younis, in comments reported by Reuters. Images from the encampment showed families queuing for water and cooking on makeshift ovens.
Ceasefire terms and return of remains
Under the US-backed ceasefire, Hamas agreed to release remaining living hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and for Israeli forces to halt their offensive and withdraw from Gaza.
The agreement also called for Hamas to hand over the remains of 28 hostages killed during the Israeli bombardment campaign since October 2023.
On Thursday, Hamas handed over two more bodies it said were of Israeli hostages, Israel’s prime minister’s office said.
The office added that the remains were received by Israeli forces via the International Committee of the Red Cross and would be transferred to Israel’s national forensic institute for identification.
With the latest handovers, Hamas has handed over 17 of the 28 bodies, Israeli officials said.
Israel’s government said the handovers were ongoing and reiterated demands that Hamas comply fully with the terms of the agreement.
Hamas has told mediators it faces logistical challenges retrieving bodies from areas heavily damaged by Israeli bombardment and has requested heavy machinery to assist recovery operations, a source close to the group told Reuters.
Death toll and medical services
The Gaza health ministry said recent strikes that followed the death of an Israeli soldier earlier this week killed 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women.
Since October 2023, the ministry says the Israeli campaign has killed at least 68,600 Palestinians, with many thousands more missing or injured.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said its teams treated dozens of wounded patients and received “dozens of dead bodies” at several hospitals, describing an “overwhelming level of death and catastrophic injuries.”
“There is no doubt this is an attack on civilians, with so many children being injured and killed. Do we really call this a ceasefire?” said Dr Morten Rostrup of MSF, speaking about conditions at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.
On 29 October, our teams across the Gaza Strip treated severely wounded patients from attacks by Israeli forces, which caused alarming civilian casualties. We have seen injured patients in Al-Aqsa, Nasser, and Al-Shifa hospitals.
Dr Morten Rostrup, a doctor at Al-Aqsa…— MSF International (@MSF) October 30, 2025
The Israeli military said it had carried out strikes against fighters it said posed an imminent threat to troops operating in parts of Gaza.
Aid constrained by route restrictions
The United Nations warned that humanitarian operations remained constrained by Israeli restrictions on movement.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, citing the UN humanitarian office, said deliveries were limited because convoys were being rerouted through the narrow, damaged Philadelphi corridor along the Egyptian border and then up the congested coastal road.
“Movement remains slower, even after the World Food Programme repaired the road,” Farhan Haq told reporters, urging additional crossings and internal routes to expand collections and response.
Mediators press for calm
Sources involved in mediation efforts, speaking to Reuters, said US and regional mediators intervened swiftly to restore calm after the recent Israeli bombardment.
Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, discussed the ceasefire and implementation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio by phone, Qatar’s state news agency QNA said.
The call, QNA reported, emphasised the need for coordinated regional and international action to ensure the agreement was fully implemented.
Al Jazeera Arabic reported that Israeli forces were demolishing homes in eastern Gaza City, in the Tuffah and Shujayea neighbourhoods.
Residents said the demolition and continued strikes have deepened fears that the truce could collapse and displace families once more.
“The situation is extremely difficult. The war is still ongoing, and we have no hope that it will end,” said Mohammed Al-Sheikh, a Gaza resident.
