Gaza children return home only to be killed by Israel after ceasefire delay – Middle East Eye

Hanan al-Gidra knew her home in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis was partially destroyed but decided to return anyway when she thought the ceasefire had begun.

The 15-month Israeli war on Gaza had been shattering, so when her family heard there was a ceasefire being enforced at 8.30am (6.30am GMT) on Sunday, they decided to go home.

“We put all our belongings in the donkey carts and my children left before me with my husband. I stepped away to go grab some of our needs, and then I heard that there was a strike and I knew that it was them,” she told Middle East Eye.

“When I got there, I found that my eldest son and my youngest daughter were killed. May God accept them. All praises due to God.”

Gidra said they were killed an hour after the ceasefire was supposed to be enforced.

“They were excited, playing and getting ready to go home. They were getting ready to meet their fate,” she said. “At least they died as martyrs.”

Minutes before the ceasefire was set to begin, Israel declared it would continue attacking Gaza because it had not received a list of captives due to be released by Hamas.

Hamas said “technical field issues” were behind its delay in providing the list, later adding there were “errors” in the names.

A Palestinian official told Reuters that Israel’s continuous bombardment of Gaza since the ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday had hindered contact.

Immediately after the 8.30am deadline, Israel began striking Gaza with warplanes, drone fire and artillery.

Attacks were reported in Gaza City, Beit Hanoun in the north, and Khan Younis and Rafah in the south. Fighter jets were also spotted flying at low attitude.

Emergency responders said 19 Palestinians were killed and 36 wounded between 8.30am and the ceasefire finally coming into force at 11.15am.

The Israeli military has killed 206 Palestinians in Gaza overall since it agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hamas on Wednesday evening.

Israel said it was hitting “terror targets” on Sunday morning. However, Palestinian civilians told MEE they were being targeted as they tried to return to their homes.

Ramadan Kassab was shelled by an Israeli tank while inspecting his home in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood moments after the truce was supposed to be enforced.

“As we entered the apartment, it was bombed,” he told MEE. “My nephew Yousef died and two others were wounded.”

Once the ceasefire properly came into effect, Palestinians broke into celebrations.

Around 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.2 million people have been displaced by the war, according to the UN, and thousands began moving home as the guns fell silent, despite much of their towns and cities lying in complete ruin.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed nearly 47,000 people, with experts believing the true toll could be much higher. Most of the dead are women and children.

Many bodies remain buried under the rubble, and Palestinians said they hoped to retrieve their dead relatives from their homes.

The UN said hundreds of aid trucks were poised to enter Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.

Some 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Gaza since the 7 October Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people.

On Sunday afternoon, preparations were underway to exchange three female Israeli captives – Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari – for 95 Palestinian prisoners, all women.

In total, 33 Israelis will be traded for 1,800 Palestinians.