Israel has violated Gaza truce nearly 500 times in 44 days, hundreds killed
Gaza: Israel has violated the United States-brokered Gaza ceasefire at least 497 times over the past 44 days, killing hundreds of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on October 10, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
Data cited by Al Jazeera on Sunday indicates that more than 340 civilians have been killed in these attacks, with children, women, and the elderly making up the majority of the victims.
The Gaza Government Media Office described these repeated violations as a blatant breach of international humanitarian law and the protocols attached to the ceasefire agreement.
Israel’s military conducted a series of airstrikes across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 24 Palestinians, including children, marking the latest violation of the six-week-old ceasefire in the war-torn territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it launched these latest attacks after a Hamas fighter attacked Israeli soldiers in Israeli-occupied territory inside Gaza’s so-called yellow line.
“In response, Israel eliminated five senior Hamas [fighters],” it said in a statement.
Similar patterns have been reported previously during the ceasefire, including at least 33 Palestinians killed over a 12-hour period on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce “under fabricated pretexts” and reportedly urged mediators, including the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, to intervene immediately. The group called on the US administration to ensure Israel fulfils its obligations and to counter efforts that undermine the ceasefire in Gaza.
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Pak, Afghan forces trade fire along Chaman border: Report
Islamabad (PTI): A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday.
Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province.
While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding.
Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire.
There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified.
A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and continued until late at night.
The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital said that three injured, including a woman, were brought to the medical facility.
There was neither any official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations -- Pakistan Army's media wing -- nor from the Foreign Office.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.
The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said last month that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.
