The occupation forces killed at least 24 Palestinians, most of which are women and children, in Gaza.

Israel has not responded to international de-escalation efforts and has continued to pound Gaza, a Qatar-based Hamas official told Al Araby TV.

“Whenever they reach a result, you will find that the aggression continues, targeting civilians and assassinating resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau abroad, said.

Israel launched another deadly assault on Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 33 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, per figures by Palestine’s news agency (Wafa).

Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations have been working on reaching a ceasefire, though Marzouk said this cannot be achieved as long as the the Israeli escalation continue.

The Hamas official stressed that the occupation is “insisting” on carrying out killings in Gaza despite reaching an agreement over a lull in fighting. 

“Without a doubt, we are not facing an open war, but the targeting of civilians must be rejected by the entire international community…and it cannot lead to the collapse of the resistance, whatever the situation,” he told the Qatar-based channel.

Israel has threatened to continue targeting members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). At least six have been killed in the aggression so far.

Israeli air strikes continued on Friday under what it codenamed as “Operation Shield and Arrow”. A seven-storey residential building was also targeted on Friday afternoon, forcing terrified families, including children and the elderly running out.

According to Wafa, Israel killed three Palestinians on Thursday by targeting a civilian apartment in the city of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip. The news agency’s correspondent said the building was completely destroyed.

The latest round of aggression comes just one week after Israel launched air strikes on the besieged Palestinian city, which came to an end following a ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations.

Last week’s flare up came after groups from Gaza launched rockets towards Israel in response to the death of prominent Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan.

The late prisoner, who was a key political leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction, went on an 87-day hunger strike while awaiting trial.

Adnan, a father of nine, was the first Palestinian hunger striker to die in Israeli prison in more than 30 years.

Israeli authorities had stopped Adnan’s family from visiting him in prison and denied him medical attention. Palestinian officials have described his death as an “assassination”.