Palestinians walk through a damaged neighbourhood in the aftermath of an Israeli operation, after Israel’s government ratified a ceasefire with Hamas, in Gaza City, October 10. REUTERS/ Ebrahim Hajjaj

The Israeli military launched strikes on the Gaza Strip for a fourth consecutive day on Friday, killing three people, according to Palestinian health officials, in a fresh challenge to a fragile ceasefire.

Residents reported Israeli shelling and gunfire in northern Gaza on Friday, as Israel continued to bombard areas of the enclave despite saying that it remains committed to a ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Another Palestinian died of wounds sustained from previous Israeli shelling, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip unresolved, has been tested by periodic outbreaks of violence since it came into place three weeks ago.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with bombardments that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people.

More Bodies Handed Over

Gaza’s health ministry said the Red Cross had delivered to it 30 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel during the war, a day after Hamas handed over two bodies of hostages.

Under the ceasefire accord, Hamas released all living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel agreed to pull back its troops, halt its offensive and increase aid.

Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian militants killed in the war. After Thursday’s release, it had handed over 17 bodies, while 225 Palestinian bodies have so far been returned to Gaza.

Hamas has said that it will take time to locate and retrieve the bodies of all the remaining hostages. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the truce by stalling in the handover.

Two years of conflict in Gaza have killed over 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities and left the enclave in ruins.

Israel launched the war after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and bringing 251 hostages back to Gaza.

(With inputs from Reuters)