Israel has killed five Palestinians in its air strikes in the besieged southern Gaza in the latest violation of the ceasefire agreement, medical sources told Anadolu Agency.

Two children were among the victims in the attacks that targeted tents sheltering displaced civilians in Khan Younis, the sources said on Wednesday.

The strikes came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "respond accordingly" to the injury of soldiers in clashes with Palestinian fighters in Rafah.

'Blatant war crime'

The Israeli army claimed that the strikes targeted a senior Hamas official in Rafah.

According to Israeli media reports, there are around 200 Hamas fighters who are trapped inside underground tunnels in Rafah, and Tel Aviv has not yet responded to demands by Hamas and mediators to allow them safe passage to areas under the group's control.

Hamas denounced Israeli attacks in Khan Younis as "a blatant war crime, a disregard for the ceasefire agreement, and a flagrant attempt to evade Israel's obligations."

It held Israel fully responsible for the repercussions of this escalation and called on mediators and guarantor countries to force Netanyahu and his government to halt its "crimes" and abide by the agreement.

Hamas has previously said that it has no relation and lost communication with the fighters trapped in Rafah, affirming its full compliance with the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10.

Israel has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its carnage in Gaza since October 2023.

It reduced most of the enclave to ruins and displaced all of its population.