Families in Gaza’s Deir al Balah gathered on Sunday to mourn those killed in Israeli airstrikes a day earlier, as the latest round of violence strained the ceasefire that has been in place since October.
Bodies lay on the ground wrapped in white shrouds. Young men knelt over them. Relatives carried stretchers through crowded alleys, pausing only to lay down the dead before prayers began.
Footage from the scene showed grief unfolding in real time, as residents struggled to understand why the calm had collapsed again.
Local health officials say at least twenty people were killed and more than eighty wounded in the strikes across Deir al Balah and nearby areas.
Israel said the operation followed what it described as a violation of the ceasefire, accusing a gunman of crossing into Israeli-held territory using a humanitarian corridor. The military said the strikes targeted militants in response.
Hamas denied the allegation, calling it baseless and saying the group remained committed to the ceasefire.
In Deir al Balah, relatives recounted the shock of the explosions. Ahmed Abu Shaweesh said his family believed the truce still held when rockets struck two homes belonging to his relatives.
According to him, those inside were women and children. Standing beside the bodies, he questioned how families were expected to rebuild their sense of safety as new losses replaced old wounds.
The escalation follows earlier strikes this week that killed dozens, including women and children, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Israeli officials said the attacks targeted militants and were carried out in response to gunfire at their troops.
Saturday’s events add pressure to a ceasefire already strained by repeated incidents on both sides. With funerals underway and negotiations stalled, the situation on the ground remains fragile.
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