TANKS FIRING
Residents of the enclave said Israeli tanks stationed near the eastern and southern borders of Gaza intensified gunfire and tank shelling into the outskirts throughout the night, raising fears among the population that fighting could resume.
At least two people were killed by an Israeli drone fire in Rafah, and three people were wounded by a helicopter that fired on Khan Younis, medics said. The Israeli military made no immediate comment.
A Palestinian official with one of the groups allied to Hamas in Gaza told Reuters a state of alert had been declared among fighters in anticipation of any “treacherous move by the occupation”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had adopted a proposal by US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish feast of Passover, ending around Apr 20.
The truce would be conditional on Hamas releasing half of the remaining living and dead hostages on the first day, with the remainder released at the conclusion if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas says it is committed to the originally agreed ceasefire that had been scheduled to move into a second phase, with negotiations aimed at a permanent end to the war, and hostages could be released only under that plan.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry called on residents to provide information about merchants raising food prices in the wake of the new blockade.
Tamer al-Burai, a Gaza businessman, said that with shops suddenly empty, the price of a sack of flour had risen to 100 shekels (US$28) from 40 shekels. Prices for cooking oil, fuel, and vegetables had also surged.
“It is catastrophic and things might become worse if the ceasefire isn’t resumed or there is no intervention by the local authorities against greedy merchants,” he told Reuters via a chat app.
