Gaza's Ceasefire Continues, Israeli Attack Kills 3 Palestinians

North Gaza/DOKmen UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel Condition

JAKARTA - Israeli airstrikes killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, medics said. On the other hand, there is no sign of progress in the updated ceasefire negotiations.

Medics said the three men died near the Bureij camp in the central Palestinian area which was destroyed by missiles fired from unmanned aircraft.

The Israeli military did not immediately give a statement.

In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said three people were injured in another air strike.

Rafah residents reported frequent shootings by Israeli troops stationed in areas adjacent to the border within the city limits.

The persistent bloodshed describes the fragility of the three-stage ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.

Israel wants to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas said it would continue the release of hostages just below the second phase which will begin on March 2.

"Hamas has fully complied with the agreement, while the occupation (Israel) did not comply with several clauses. They (Israel) attempted to thwart the agreement and imposed new requirements," Hamas spokesman Abdel-Lative Al-Qanoua said on Monday, March 17, reported by Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday last week that negotiators had been instructed to be ready to resume talks based on mediator's response to US proposals for the release of 11 surviving hostages and half of the prisoners who had died.

Meanwhile Hamas said they agreed to release the American-Israeli army Edan Alexander and the four hostages if Israel agreed to immediately start talks on the implementation of the second phase of the agreement.

Israel accuses Hamas of carrying out a "psychological war" against the families of the hostages.

The war began when Hamas led a cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and arrested 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.