JERUSALEM: Israeli forces continued a series of deadly assaults across the Palestinian territories and southern Lebanon on Saturday, violating existing ceasefire agreements, officials reported. In the occupied West Bank, two 16-year-old Palestinian boys, Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed Ateem and Muhammad Rashad Fadl Qasim, were shot dead by Israeli troops. The Palestinian health ministry said the bodies were being withheld by Israeli authorities.
In Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed one Palestinian and wounded another near the Bureij refugee camp, while a separate attack in western Khan Younis left another individual injured. These attacks come amid heightened tensions and ongoing violations of agreed ceasefires.
Read More: Ceasefire fails in Gaza: Israeli strikes kill 3 more Palestinians
Meanwhile, in southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed three people. Two brothers from Shebaa were burned alive when an Israeli missile hit their vehicle, and another strike in Baraashit left one dead and four injured. A further attack near a hospital in Bint Jbeil wounded seven people. The European Union expressed concern over the escalating violence and called for all parties to preserve the ceasefire.
Under the ongoing prisoner exchange plan, Israel returned the body of Lior Rudaeff while Gaza received 15 Palestinian bodies, continuing the sensitive exchange process. The latest violence underscores the fragility of the ceasefire and rising civilian casualties on both sides.
Read More: Israel launches airstrikes on southern Lebanon
US forces are now coordinating humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), working alongside Israel. While the US leads the process, Israeli officials remain involved in monitoring and decision-making, maintaining tight control over aid deliveries.