Israel says it has begun striking Hamas targets in Gaza, killing at least nine people, after what it called a "flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement."
Local health authorities in Gaza said there had been three separate airstrikes, one of which hit a car in the densely populated Rimal neighborhood, killing five people and wounding several others.
Immediately after the attack on the car, the Israeli air force struck two other targets in the central Gaza Strip.
At least four people died when two houses were hit by a bomb in the city of Deir Al-Balah and in the Nuseirat camp.
The Israeli military said there had been a "flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement."
It claimed that an armed person had crossed into Israeli-held territory after using "the humanitarian route in the area through which aid enters southern Gaza."
A Hamas official dismissed the Israeli military's accusations as baseless, calling them an "excuse to kill," adding that the Palestinian group was committed to the ceasefire agreement.
Otherwise, the Israeli airstrikes are further evidence of a fragile ceasefire with Hamas, which has been in place since October 10 after the two-year war in Gaza.
Israel withdrew its troops and the flow of aid into the territory has increased.
But the violence has not stopped completely.
Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 316 people in attacks on Gaza since the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began and has attacked dozens of militants. /Telegraph/
