The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed ‘eliminating’ Hamas commander Alaa’ Haddadeh, with both Israel and the Palestinian group continuing to accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
“Following the violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF and the ISA targeted Hamas terrorists in precise strikes across Gaza,” IDF wrote on X.
The Israeli force said Haddadeh was a central source of knowledge for supply and production systems, and operated to transfer weapons from Hamas’ headquarters to battalion and field commanders.
In a separate X post, IDF said 3 terrorists were identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops operating in the Khan Yunis area, posing an immediate threat to them.
“The IDF struck the terrorists in order to remove the threat,” the force said.
Two children killed every day during fragile ceasefire, says UNICEF on Gaza situation
Meanwhile, UN agencies said the ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire.
“Yesterday morning, a baby girl was reportedly killed in Khan Younis by an airstrike, while the day before, seven children were killed in Gaza City and the south,” said Ricardo Pires, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
In an update, Pires told journalists: “There’s only one party to the conflict in Gaza with the firepower to do airstrikes.”
Since 11 October, the first full day of the pause in hostilities between the Israeli military and Hamas fighters, at least 67 children have been killed in “conflict related incidents”, the UNICEF spokesperson noted.
His comments came as NGO Doctors Without Borders reported that a nine-year-old girl is receiving treatment for facial wounds after gunfire from quadcopter drones was reported on Wednesday.
Hundreds killed and injured
According to UNICEF, at least 67 children have been killed in “conflict-related incidents” since the Hamas-Israel pause in hostilities was announced on 10 October, at a rate of two a day.
Veteran UN aid worker Dr Rik Peeperkorn from the World Health Organization (WHO) echoed those concerns, adding that “although there’s a ceasefire, people still get killed”.
Latest Gaza Ministry of Health data indicates that 280 Gazans have been killed and 672 injured since the ceasefire, in addition to 571 bodies recovered from the rubble.
