The death toll from the latest Israeli bombardment on the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 30 martyrs, according to Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense.

“At least 30 people have been killed and dozens more were injured following the barbaric Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. Our rescue teams continue to work tirelessly to recover bodies and the wounded from under the rubble,” Bassal stated, describing scenes of devastation reminiscent of the darkest days of the war.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bassal had confirmed that at least nine civilians, including women and children, were martyred in separate attacks throughout the day as Israeli warplanes unleashed a new wave of destruction across multiple residential neighborhoods.

Observers say the recent aggression by the Netanyahu government reflects Tel Aviv’s ongoing policy of creating false pretexts to continue its genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people, rather than any legitimate military response.

Despite reported U.S. hesitation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the latest airstrikes after citing an alleged attack on Israeli troops in Rafah — a claim Hamas has firmly denied, calling it “a fabricated justification for renewed war crimes.”

In an official statement, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) rejected any involvement in the Rafah incident and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement brokered in Sharm El-Sheikh under the auspices of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Hamas has no connection to the incident in Rafah,” the statement read. “The criminal bombardment carried out by the occupying fascist army against the Gaza Strip is a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement. It represents yet another episode in Israel’s policy of collective punishment and deliberate targeting of civilians.”

The movement called on international mediators and Arab states to “take immediate and decisive action to pressure the occupying forces, stop their brutal escalation against civilians, and ensure full compliance with all ceasefire terms.”

As the Gaza Civil Defense teams continue to pull the dead and injured from beneath the ruins of bombed homes, Palestinians across the Strip mourn yet another massacre — one more in a long series of violations that have defined the occupation’s relentless war on the people of Gaza. (ILKHA)