Eleven Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, according to Palestinian civil defence and health officials.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted what it described as terror infrastructure in response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas. The military added that militants were killed after emerging from a tunnel into an area of Gaza under Israeli control.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that a strike on a tent encampment in northern Gaza killed at least six people, while another strike in the south of the territory left five dead.
Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of near-daily violations since a fragile ceasefire took effect on 10 October. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 600 people have been killed since the truce began. Earlier this month, local officials reported that at least 32 people died in a wave of Israeli air strikes across the enclave.
The latest strikes occurred as preparations continued for the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire arrangement. Last month, US President Donald Trump announced the creation of a new body known as the Board of Peace, operating under a mandate from the United Nations Security Council. The initiative aims to establish an international force to secure border areas in Gaza and oversee the disarmament of Hamas.
The board, scheduled to hold its first meeting in Washington on 19 February, is also tasked with supervising the formation of a technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza and coordinating post-war reconstruction efforts. Indonesia, a member of the Board of Peace, has announced plans to deploy 8,000 troops to Gaza as part of the agreement’s second phase.
The conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign in Gaza that, according to the territory’s health ministry, has resulted in more than 71,820 deaths.
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Washington to meet President Trump. Their discussions reportedly focused on curbing Iran’s nuclear programme and limiting its ballistic missile capabilities. Trump later said that no definitive agreement had been reached and that talks with Tehran would continue. Iran’s deputy foreign minister told BBC News that further discussions are scheduled to take place in Geneva on Tuesday, a date also confirmed to Reuters by a US official.