At least 30 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza: report

Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP on Wednesday that Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory had killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens.

"At least 30 killed and dozens of wounded as a result of the Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, and our crews are still working to recover the dead and wounded from under the rubble," Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the agency, told AFP.

Israel began carrying out air strikes in recent days despite an ongoing ceasefire, after accusing Hamas of attacking its troops and violating a ceasefire.

The Israeli strikes on Gaza followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's order for the military to conduct immediate "powerful" attacks.

Citing the Hamas-affiliated Gaza Civil Defence agency, BBC earlier reported that at least nine people were killed.

Israel and Hamas are mutually accusing each other of breaching the ceasefire, with Israel's defence minister claiming Hamas attacked Israeli soldiers in Gaza — a charge Hamas denies.

The escalation follows Israel's announcement that a coffin surrendered by Hamas on Monday did not contain the remains of a deceased hostage.

Hamas counters that Israel is hindering efforts to locate bodies in the Strip and has postponed the planned handover of another dead hostage.

All but one of the deceased hostages still held in Gaza were among the 251 individuals kidnapped during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which also killed around 1,200 others.

Israel retaliated with a military offensive in Gaza that has resulted in over 68,500 deaths, per the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.