(MENAFN) At least 25 Palestinians lost their lives and 77 others were wounded following Israeli air assaults across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry.

The latest escalation represents a fresh breach of the delicate ceasefire arrangement that has been in effect since last month.

In its announcement, the ministry noted that several of the injured civilians remain in critical condition.

The Israeli military carried out multiple strikes in various parts of Gaza on Wednesday evening, asserting that the operations were retaliation for gunfire aimed at its troops in Rafah, located in the southern portion of the enclave.

Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal reported that Israeli forces had been hitting different zones within the Gaza Strip since the afternoon hours.

Basal stated that the offensive began with artillery bombardment on a residence in the Shujaiya district of Gaza City, resulting in the death of a young Palestinian.

He added that another strike targeted a civilian gathering in the same district, killing an additional civilian and wounding numerous others.

Israeli aircraft also bombarded the headquarters of Gaza’s Endowments Ministry in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City, claiming the lives of five individuals, among them a pregnant woman and a girl, according to the spokesman.

In southern Gaza, three more Palestinians were killed and several others injured when an Israeli strike hit a group of civilians in Khan Younis, the spokesman added.

According to a correspondent from a news agency, the bombardments focused on locations previously vacated by the Israeli army under the ceasefire arrangement that commenced on Oct. 10.

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