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Eleven killed after Israel hits bus in Gaza, Hamas-run civil defence says

Eleven killed after Israel hits bus in Gaza, Hamas-run civil defence says

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### Deadly Incident in Gaza Amid Fragile Ceasefire

**A Family Tragedy in Zeitoun**

On Friday night, a tragic event unfolded in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of 11 members of the Abu Shaaban family. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence, the family was traveling by bus to check on their home, which they had been forced to abandon during earlier phases of the conflict. As they made their way through the northern part of Gaza City, their bus was struck by an Israeli tank shell. All 11 people onboard, including women and children, lost their lives in the incident.

This event marks the deadliest single incident involving Israeli soldiers in Gaza since the beginning of the most recent ceasefire, which has now lasted over a week. The loss of an entire family in a single attack has drawn renewed attention to the dangers faced by civilians in Gaza, even as active hostilities have paused under the terms of the current truce.

**Israeli Military Response and Ceasefire Conditions**

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to the incident by stating that their troops fired at what they described as a “suspicious vehicle.” According to their account, the vehicle had crossed the so-called “yellow line,” a demarcation that marks the boundary between areas still occupied by Israeli forces and those under Palestinian control, as stipulated in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

The IDF said that, upon spotting the vehicle crossing this line, soldiers first fired warning shots. When the vehicle continued to approach, the IDF claims it posed an “imminent threat” to their troops, prompting them to open fire in accordance with established military procedures. However, Hamas officials and the civil defence in Gaza dispute this narrative, insisting that the family was targeted without justification as they attempted to return to their home.

**Challenges for Civilians and Communication Gaps**

One of the critical issues highlighted by this incident is the difficulty Palestinians face in navigating Gaza during the ceasefire. The “yellow line” referenced by the Israeli military is not physically marked on the ground, and the area’s limited internet and communication infrastructure complicates efforts for ordinary people to know where Israeli troops are positioned. Many civilians, desperate to check on their homes and belongings after months of bombardment, risk entering areas that are not clearly marked as off-limits.

The BBC has reportedly asked the IDF to provide the exact coordinates of the incident to clarify whether or not the bus crossed a prohibited boundary. In response to such incidents and confusion, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that the army would begin setting up visual signs to indicate the location of the “yellow line,” in an attempt to prevent further tragedies.

**Humanitarian and Diplomatic Developments**

In a separate but related development, the Palestinian embassy in Cairo announced that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza would reopen on Monday. The crossing will allow Palestinian residents who have been in Egypt to return home to Gaza. This move is seen as a small but important step in easing the severe restrictions on movement that have left many Palestinians stranded outside their homeland during the conflict.

**Hostage and Prisoner Exchanges Under the Ceasefire**

The current ceasefire, brokered with the involvement of the United States, has included several arrangements for the exchange of hostages and prisoners, as well as the repatriation of bodies. On Friday, Hamas released the body of Eliyahu Margalit, an Israeli hostage, to the Red Cross, which then returned his remains to Israel. Margalit became the tenth deceased Israeli hostage to be returned since the beginning of the ceasefire; the remains of another 18 Israeli hostages are still unaccounted for in Gaza.

In return, Israel handed over the bodies of 15 more Palestinians to officials in Gaza, bringing the total number of Palestinian bodies repatriated to 135, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. These exchanges are an emotional and politically sensitive component of the ceasefire agreement, as families on both sides seek closure and the return of their loved ones.

**Ongoing Tensions Over Hostage Remains**

Despite the progress represented by these exchanges, there is significant anger in Israel that Hamas has not yet returned all of the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, as was reportedly promised under the cease

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