Israeli Military Fires on Vehicle, Saying It Crossed Gaza Cease-Fire Line

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had fired on a vehicle in northern Gaza a day earlier, saying the car had crossed a demarcation line where Israel’s forces have withdrawn to since last week’s cease-fire.

At least nine people were killed, including four children, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency service, which is part of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

A Gaza City resident, Mohammad Abu Shaban, said his sister was traveling in the vehicle, and that she and at least three of her children had been killed, along with her husband. He said he had identified their bodies at a hospital in the city on Saturday morning before their funeral.

In a statement, the Israeli miliary said that troops first fired warning shots at what it described as a “suspicious vehicle,” before opening fire “to remove the threat.” The military did not respond to queries about the reported civilian deaths.

The deadly episode underscored the fragility of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on Oct. 10. As part of the deal, Israeli forces pulled back to an agreed-upon “Yellow Line” inside Gaza, but remained in control of 53 percent of the territory.

Gaza rescuers arrived at the site on Saturday after receiving permission from the Israeli authorities via the United Nations to cross the demarcation line. Two other passengers were yet to be found, according to the Civil Defense and Mr. Abu Shaban.

Mr. Abu Shaban said the car was carrying a dozen members of the same extended family who had left the crowded tent camp where they were staying for a picnic.

He added that the family now believes that those in the vehicle got lost and entered a dangerous area by mistake. “It seems the driver got mixed up in the roads and crossed the line. There aren’t any warning signs,” said Mr. Abu Shaban.

The Israeli military often publishes warnings about areas in Gaza that civilians should not approach, saying that the military is deployed there. But many Gazans — either lacking internet, puzzling over unclear maps, or simply lost in the devastated enclave — have at times been unsure whether they have entered a restricted area.

Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, ordered on Friday that the withdrawal line be physically demarcated on the ground. The markings, Mr. Katz’s office said in a statement, would “warn Hamas terrorists and Gaza residents that any violation and attempt to cross the line will be met with fire.”

The cease-fire agreement, which the United States helped to broker, has yet to decisively end the conflict. And though the fighting in Gaza has largely stopped, Israeli troops have occasionally attacked what they say are imminent threats.

On Friday, the Israeli military said soldiers deployed in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis had attacked several militants that were spotted leaving a tunnel. That same day, the military said, a group of gunmen had opened fire at Israeli soldiers in another city, Rafah, without causing casualties.

As part of the cease-fire, Hamas has freed 20 living Israeli hostages and turned over the bodies of 12 others, two most recently late Saturday, according to the Israeli military. Israel has freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and sent the bodies of more than 100 Palestinians to Gaza.

Earlier Saturday, the Israeli government said Hamas had handed over the body of Eliyahu Margalit overnight. Mr. Margalit, 75, was killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the war in Gaza, and Palestinian militants brought his body back to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli officials have criticized Hamas for not handing over the remaining hostage bodies still in Gaza. Hamas said on Wednesday that it had delivered all of the remains in its possession, and that finding the others would take more time and effort because of the devastation in the territory.

As part of the cease-fire agreement, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was supposed to open to allow aid and people to travel through, but it has so far remained closed. On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that the border gateway would remain shut “until further notice.”

Israel would consider allowing the Rafah crossing to open based on “the manner in which Hamas implements its part in the return of the deceased hostages,” Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.