TEHRAN- Israeli fighter jets bombed the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, including three children, according to local media.

At least 14 people were killed in Gaza City after Israeli forces shelled the eastern neighborhoods of Zaytoun and Tuffah, Middle East Eye reported. 

In the south, the Nasser Medical Complex said an Israeli strike hit tents housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, killing three people, including a child.

The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to a Palestinian shooting at soldiers overnight that seriously wounded an officer. It has not provided any evidence to verity the claim.. 

Since the October agreement to end the war on Gaza, Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, carrying out dozens of air strikes and demolitions and opening fire on civilians.

The Israeli army often says its troops have come under attack to justify wide-scale bombing, though it rarely provides evidence to support such claims.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 529 people since the ceasefire was announced and wounded around 1,500 others.

The ceasefire was intended to halt the two-year genocide in Gaza, during which at least 71,000 Palestinians were killed, around 170,000 were wounded, and roughly 90 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure was destroyed or damaged.