Five Palestinians killed in Gaza attacks despite ceasefire
Gaza health officials said Israeli fire and a drone strike killed at least five people, including a nine-year-old girl, as Cairo talks continue.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Israeli fire and a drone strike killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza, including a nine-year-old girl, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The deaths add to a toll that health officials say has continued to rise despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas last October.
Medics said Tala Abu Matar was killed when Israeli gunfire hit an encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. The report said Israeli raids have targeted areas where displaced people are sheltering in tents.
In Gaza City, officials at al-Shifa hospital said at least four Palestinians were killed and one other person was wounded in a drone attack on a blacksmith’s shop in the Sabra neighbourhood. The casualties were taken to al-Shifa, the officials said.
The Israeli military acknowledged carrying out a strike in the area, Al Jazeera reported. It said, without giving further details, that it had hit “terrorist infrastructure.”
Al Jazeera also reported two further deaths linked to earlier Israeli attacks. A Palestinian man died from wounds sustained in Israeli fire near Al-Bureij camp after shooting on Friday, a health official said. Another Palestinian died from injuries caused by an Israeli drone strike east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Ceasefire under strain
Al Jazeera reported that the latest attacks violate the ceasefire reached last October. Ground fighting has mostly halted since the deal, but Israel has continued to carry out air strikes in Gaza, the report said.
Gaza Health Ministry data cited by Al Jazeera says Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,098 Palestinians and wounded 3,535 others during the ceasefire period. The ministry also said at least 73,118 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023.
Under the ceasefire agreement, the so-called Yellow Line marks territory occupied by Israel from the rest of Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. Since October, Israel has expanded control beyond that line, the outlet reported.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said last week that Israeli forces now control about 80 percent of the enclave, according to Al Jazeera.
Cairo talks continue
The violence came as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for more talks on the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, Al Jazeera reported.
Sources close to the talks said the discussions include Hamas disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals. They said no breakthrough had been reached.
The talks are aimed at implementing the next stage of the plan after the October truce, according to Al Jazeera. The new deaths underline the gap between the formal ceasefire and conditions reported by health officials inside Gaza.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.