GAZA CITY: A Gaza hospital said clashes and Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 people on Monday near a school sheltering displaced people in the center of the Palestinian territory.
The incident is the latest to shake a fragile US-backed ceasefire that has been in place since October 10 and has largely halted the war between Israel and Hamas.
"At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured, including six in critical condition, by Israeli shelling and clashes east of Al-Maghazi camp" in the center of the territory, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital said in a statement. Gaza's civil defense agency confirmed the death toll.
A Palestinian witness told AFP that the violence began with clashes between gunmen from an anti-Hamas militia, allegedly backed by Israel, and some residents in the school who were backed by Hamas fighters.
The anti-Hamas gunmen had come to arrest some residents, the witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
"Clashes broke out when residents and Hamas members tried to confront the (anti-Hamas) militiamen," he said.
"Shortly after, Israeli forces bombed the area near the school and also opened heavy fire," he said.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
It remains unclear how many of the victims were killed by airstrikes and how many died in the clashes.
Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the truce.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Gaza during the ceasefire, targeting what it says are Hamas fighters.
Since the ceasefire began, at least 723 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry.
The United Nations considers these figures reliable.
The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza during the same period.
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