Israeli strikes in Gaza kill around 20 after Israeli officer wounded

Israeli military operations across Gaza on 4 February were carried out after gunfire left an Israeli officer seriously injured; Palestinian medical authorities report roughly 20 fatalities and nearly 40 wounded from the subsequent strikes. Bodies were received by several hospitals, with one major facility reporting a double‑digit number of deceased and another receiving multiple dead from strikes on tented displacement sites. Among the dead were children and at least one emergency worker who local first responders say was killed while attempting to treat casualties from an earlier impact. Gaza health services and humanitarian groups framed the strikes as hitting densely populated civilian areas; the Israeli military said its targets were fighters who had engaged troops near the demarcation known as the Yellow Line. The incident comes amid a series of near‑daily confrontations since the ceasefire took effect and follows a separate set of Israeli operations on Jan. 31 that hospitals said produced 23 deaths, including strikes on a police compound, a tent encampment in Khan Younis and an apartment building in Gaza City. Gaza health authorities had recorded over 500 deaths tied to Israeli fire since the truce began, highlighting how episodic escalations are accumulating into a significant humanitarian toll. The killing of a medical first responder after a secondary strike underscores operational risks for aid workers and raises legal and protection concerns. Local testimony described the suddenness of the attacks and the vulnerability of tented displaced populations when shelter areas are struck. Israel characterized the actions as proportionate responses against those who fired on troops; Hamas condemned the strikes and appealed to mediators. The repetition of retaliatory incidents complicates monitoring and enforcement of the ceasefire, risks hardening public attitudes, and increases pressure on mediators working to keep crossings and relief routes open, including the scheduled limited opening of Rafah that is critical for medical evacuations and supplies.