Gaza boy succumbs to injuries from Israeli attack

A Palestinian child died early Saturday from injuries sustained in an Israeli attack days ago in the southern Gaza Strip, a medical source told Anadolu.

The report comes amid Tel Aviv's continued breaches of an ongoing ceasefire agreement that took effect last October.

The source at Nasser Hospital said 10-year-old Walid Youssef Abu Jazar died from wounds he suffered days earlier in an Israeli strike on the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Separately, local sources and eyewitnesses reported a limited incursion by Israeli military vehicles east of Al-Maghazi and Deir al-Balah, along with the westward displacement of yellow concrete blocks in a new expansion of areas under Israeli control.

The sources said two Israeli tanks and a military bulldozer advanced about 200 meters (656 feet) southwest of Al-Maghazi and east of Deir al-Balah under heavy gunfire, removing concrete blocks marking the so-called “yellow line” established under the ceasefire.

The Israeli army is deployed along the line, a security strip it has imposed inside the Gaza Strip, preventing Palestinians from approaching areas near it.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the army currently controls about 70% of Gaza, confirming continued expansion of the occupied area despite the truce.

His remarks indicate that Israel now controls about 255 square km (around 94 square mi) of Gaza’s total 365 square km (nearly 141 square mi).

According to Netanyahu’s statements, Israel expanded its control in Gaza from 53% at the start of the ceasefire to 60% by May 15, and then to 70% at present.

On Friday, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the expansion of the “yellow line” into new areas, along with associated displacement and destruction of homes.

“These violations require a clear stance from mediators to pressure the occupation to stop them,” he said.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, as of Thursday, Israeli ceasefire violations have so far killed 1,031 Palestinians and injured 3,309 others.

Since October 2023, the Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed over 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 173,000, and caused widespread destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul