"Bloodiest Day" For Gaza As Airstrikes Continued Hours Surrounding Ceasefire

The fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been marred by violence, with at least 115 people killed in Gaza, including 28 children and 31 women, and over 265 injured, according to Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense agency.

The hours surrounding the ceasefire deal were deemed "the bloodiest day in the past week" for Gaza, Basal noted, per NBC. Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israel continued bombing Gaza, killing Palestinian civilians and sparking widespread condemnation.

The United Nations' Human Rights Council denounced the strikes, saying "we are dismayed that shortly after the deal was announced, Israel continued bombing Gaza indiscriminately, killing Palestinian civilians despite expectations of calm until the ceasefire takes effect".

The council urged all parties to accept the Gaza ceasefire deal to end "15 months of immense and terrible suffering in Gaza." The Israeli government's vote on the deal, held on Friday, will determine the fate of the ceasefire, with the possibility of it taking effect as early as Sunday.

However, the situation remains dire, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that they carried out strikes on approximately 50 targets across the Gaza Strip, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, military compounds, and weapons storage facilities, "over the last day".

The 15-month offensive in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 46,500 people, including thousands of children, according to local health officials. The international community, including the UN Secretary-General, has welcomed the ceasefire deal as a "critical first step" towards ending the conflict.

As the situation in Gaza continues to unfold, the world watches with bated breath, hoping for a lasting peace. The ceasefire deal, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase, including the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

However, the road to peace is long and arduous, with deep-seated historical roots that need to be addressed.

On Thursday, in a video captured by NBC News, the bodies of four young children lay lifeless on the ground, shrouded alongside the corpses of other victims at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Witnesses said they were killed in the string of airstrikes launched by the IAF.

"They were sleeping happily with the news of the truce," one man told the crew. Then "the Israeli airplanes shelled us."