Gaza Death Toll Climbs Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty, Dozens Killed After Deal Announced
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, violence continues in Gaza, with at least 82 Palestinians killed since Wednesday morning, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera.
The deaths include at least 30 people in Gaza City, highlighting a grim situation as civilians hoped for an end to hostilities
A particularly devastating attack targeted a house near the Engineers Union Building in Gaza City late Wednesday, claiming at least 18 lives, according to Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent. In the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, Palestinian Civil Defence teams recovered 12 more bodies. Further south, in central Gaza, a drone strike killed five people who were gathered in the Karaj area of the Bureij camp.
The death toll has continued to mount as Palestinians returned to their shelters after briefly celebrating the news of a ceasefire, which was announced on Wednesday evening. However, the ceasefire is not scheduled to take effect until Sunday, leaving residents in Gaza fearful of further violence in the interim.
Both Israel and Hamas have publicly acknowledged that a ceasefire and captive exchange deal has been reached, though Israel has indicated that some final details remain to be negotiated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated he had spoken with the Israeli negotiating team in Doha early Thursday, who briefed him on disagreements with Hamas regarding the selection of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the first phase of the deal.
As of January 1, 2025, there were at least 10,221 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, not including the unknown number of individuals detained by the military in Gaza.
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said earlier that the ceasefire deal met all of the group’s conditions, including the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced people to their homes, and a permanent end to the war.
The exact time the ceasefire is due to begin on Sunday has not yet been released.
