Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday killed six people despite the existence of a US-brokered ceasefire. 

According to Gaza’s Civil Defence agency and health officials, two of the victims were killed when an Israeli drone targeted the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while four others died in separate locations across the territory. Hospitals in Gaza confirmed receiving the bodies of those killed in the attacks.

The strikes came at a time of heightened regional tension, coinciding with fresh US military operations against Iran. The US Central Command announced on Wednesday that its forces had begun conducting additional strikes against Iranian targets.

These operations were described as measures to degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, following recent attacks on commercial shipping and civilian crews. In a statement shared on X, CENTCOM emphasised that the strikes were carried out under the direction of the Commander in Chief.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by claiming responsibility for a major retaliatory attack. On Thursday, the IRGC stated that it had launched ten ballistic missiles at the US Al-Azraq air base in northern Jordan.

The group described the target as an “enemy command and control centre in West Asia.” According to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, the missile attack marked the second phase of Iran’s response to what it termed US aggression against Tehran.

The IRGC declared that its aerospace fighters had destroyed the enemy’s command and control centre and the Al-Azraq base at 2:20 pm local time. The statement warned that any further US military action would trigger additional attacks on American bases in the region. IRIB carried the warning that “if the US terrorist army repeats its aggression, other US bases in the region will not be safe from our heavy fire.”

This escalation highlights the fragility of ceasefire arrangements in Gaza and the wider volatility across the Middle East. The Israeli strikes, despite the ceasefire, underline the continuing instability in the Palestinian territories.

Simultaneously, the US-Iran confrontation is intensifying, with military exchanges now extending into neighbouring countries such as Jordan. The situation demonstrates how interconnected the conflicts in Gaza and the Gulf have become, with actions in one theatre reverberating across the region.

ANI