• Qatar accuses Israel of violating ceasefire terms
• NGOs warn of near-total collapse of Gaza aid system
GAZA CITY / MOSCOW: At least 40 people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting camps for displaced civilians in Gaza, according to the territory’s civil defence agency. Most of the victims were women and children sheltering in areas previously designated as safe zones.
Israeli officials stated they are reviewing reports of the strikes. The attacks coincided with Hamas signaling that internal discussions over Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal were nearing completion.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal reported that two missiles struck tents in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, killing 16 people and injuring 23. Al-Mawasi, declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, had become a refuge for tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing conflict. However, it has since experienced multiple bombings.
Eyewitness Israa Abu al-Rus described a sudden explosion in the crowded camp: “We were sitting peacefully when we saw a red flash — then our tent exploded and the fire spread.” She said families fled toward the sea as the fire engulfed their shelter.
Additional airstrikes on two other camps left nine more dead — seven in Beit Lahia and two near Al-Mawasi, including a father and son. Further attacks in Jabalia killed seven members of the Asaliya family and six more at a school being used as a shelter. Two others were killed by shelling in Gaza City.
Qatar: Israel Violated Truce
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused Israel of breaching the January ceasefire agreement. “An agreement was reached months ago, but Israel did not comply,” said Sheikh Tamim.
The January 19 ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., paused over 15 months of conflict following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault. That truce effectively ended in early March. Putin acknowledged Qatar’s role and emphasized that lasting peace depends on UN-backed solutions, including the creation of a Palestinian state.
Aid System on Brink of Collapse
Twelve leading humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, warned on Thursday that Gaza’s aid infrastructure is “on the verge of total collapse” due to an Israeli blockade imposed on March 2.
Israel has maintained the blockade, stating it is necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing 58 remaining hostages.
“Everyone in Gaza depends on aid for survival,” the aid groups said in a joint statement. “That lifeline was entirely severed when the blockade began,” adding that this represents “one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation.”
A survey of 43 international and Palestinian NGOs revealed that nearly all have suspended or drastically scaled back operations since the ceasefire ended.
