Palestinian media say Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 24 people, including children and a paramedic, on Wednesday.

They cited local sources as saying that one of the Israeli attacks targeted tents sheltering displaced people in the Khan Younis area.

The Israeli military said on the same day that it carried out a strike targeting the Islamic group Hamas in response to what it called a blatant violation of a ceasefire agreement. The military said Hamas militants opened fire at Israeli troops in northern Gaza and severely injured a reserve officer.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect last October as the first phase of a peace plan. But Israel has carried out strikes intermittently, accusing Hamas of violating the agreement.

Health authorities in Gaza said on Wednesday that the death toll since the start of the ceasefire had reached 556.

Hamas said in a statement that the ongoing Israeli strikes constitute a "deliberate sabotage of efforts to solidify the ceasefire." It called for international pressure to halt the attacks.

There has been some progress in the Gaza peace plan as the Rafah border crossing with Egypt partially reopened earlier this week. But the number of deaths in the enclave is on the rise amid continuing Israeli strikes.

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