The strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date. That was compounded by the shooting and killing of an Israeli soldier during an exchange of gunfire in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Hamas insisted it was not involved in the Rafah gunfire, reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire and called on mediators to pressure Israel to stop. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, said 45 people, including 20 children, were in critical condition at the hospital. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty ImagesAmbulances and small trucks carrying bodies crowded hospital entrances overnight across Gaza.
