GAZA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Hamas said Saturday that the ongoing Israeli crimes, violations, and escalation against the Gaza Strip constitute a clear violation of the peace understandings and agreements brokered by mediators.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a press statement that "the understandings stipulated the withdrawal of the occupation forces and the prevention of imposing new realities on the ground."
Qassem called on the mediators and the parties that witnessed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement as well as the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," to "take urgent action to stop these dangerous violations, compel the occupation to fulfill its commitments, and halt its serious abuses."
Overnight, the Israeli army bombed two residential buildings in the central Gaza Strip, after issuing evacuation warnings to two entire residential blocks. On the ground, medical sources told Xinhua that eight Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in several areas of the coastal enclave and were transferred to hospitals for treatment.
Meanwhile, Israeli artillery targeted the eastern areas of the Gaza Strip with a number of shells, coinciding with the demolition of residential buildings in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood east of Gaza City, causing large explosions, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.
Meanwhile, Gaza-based health authorities said in a report on Saturday that hospitals in the Gaza Strip received eight dead and 29 wounded in the past 48 hours.
Since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel went into effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 890 people and wounded 2,677 others, bringing the total toll since Oct. 7, 2023 to 72,783 dead and 172,779 wounded, according to the authorities. ■
