Gaza Herald — Just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli warplanes bombed the Al-Sabra neighborhood south of Gaza City, killing at least 29 Palestinians and leaving around 40 others missing beneath the rubble.
The strike came despite Trump’s declaration that hostilities had officially ceased. Residents described the attack as a massacre, saying entire families were wiped out in their sleep. Emergency teams worked through the night to pull survivors from the debris.
The assault shattered hopes for calm after Trump said Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan. The president had called it “a historic step toward lasting peace in the Middle East,” announcing plans to travel to Egypt for a signing ceremony.
“The war in Gaza has come to an end,” Trump said earlier Thursday, thanking Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye for their mediation. “The peace we have helped achieve will be sustainable, and Gaza will be rebuilt.”
But the bombing tells a different story. Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israeli air raids continue to pound residential areas already reduced to ruins.
Witnesses in Al-Sabra described horrifying scenes as rescuers pulled bodies of women and children from the rubble. “There was no warning, no evacuation, just fire from the sky,” said one resident.
Death Toll Rising
Thursday’s assault adds to Gaza’s staggering toll. Nearly 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, most of them women and children, and large parts of the enclave remain in ruins.
For Gaza’s residents, the latest tragedy underscores that peace remains a distant illusion , even as the world’s most powerful nations speak of ending the war, Israel’s bombs continue to fall.
Despite Trump’s declaration of a ceasefire, Israeli bombardment has not stopped for even a single minute across the Gaza Strip , particularly in the north. Since the announcement, explosions have continued to shake the city skies, reminding Palestinians that the so-called “ceasefire” exists only in statements, not on the ground.
