At Least 30 Feared Dead As Israel Launches Fresh Strikes In Gaza; JD Vance Says Ceasefire Remains In Place

At least 30 people have been reported dead and dozens more injured following a fresh wave of Israeli air strikes in Gaza, according to the territory’s civil defence agency.

The strikes, which came despite an ongoing ceasefire, have sparked renewed tensions between Israel and Hamas, with both sides accusing each other of breaching the fragile US-brokered truce.

Mahmud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence, said rescue crews were still working to pull bodies from the rubble. “At least 30 killed and dozens wounded as a result of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip,” Basal said, adding that recovery efforts were ongoing.

The Israeli military launched the air strikes late Tuesday after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire by attacking Israeli soldiers. Local health officials told Reuters that the bombardments killed at least 26 people, including civilians in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and the Bureij refugee camp.

In Washington, US Vice President JD Vance maintained that the “ceasefire was holding” despite what he described as “isolated skirmishes.” Speaking to reporters, Vance said, “We know that Hamas or someone else within Gaza attacked an Israeli soldier. We expect Israel to respond, but the President’s peace is going to hold despite that.”

The ceasefire agreement, brokered by US President Donald Trump and implemented on October 10, paused two years of conflict triggered by Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, the truce remains fragile, with accusations of violations from both sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire by returning the wrong remains during an exchange process. Hamas initially agreed to hand over the body of a missing Israeli hostage but later postponed the transfer, alleging Israeli violations of the truce.

Late Tuesday, Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed to have recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, in Gaza. The group accused Netanyahu of using the dispute as an excuse to evade Israel’s commitments under the agreement.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas released all living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, while Israel suspended its military offensive and withdrew troops from several areas of Gaza.

Despite diplomatic reassurances from Washington, Tuesday’s violence underscores the volatility of the truce — and the deep mistrust that continues to define relations between the two sides.