Israeli Strikes Kill at Least Eight in Gaza a Year Into a Shaky Ceasefire

Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, hospital sources and the Gaza Interior Ministry said, in two separate attacks. The deaths came despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 and has largely halted major fighting but not the near-daily strikes, according to ABC News.

The Israeli military said it hit militants. Hamas called the attack on police officers a deliberate war crime, and the dispute over who is violating the truce continues.

The numbers behind Sunday’s attacks

• Eight killed on Sunday. Al Jazeera, citing hospital sources, and ABC News both reported at least eight deaths. Al Jazeera added that another person died the same day from wounds suffered in an earlier attack.
• Five killed in Khan Younis. A drone strike in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killed five people, according to Al Jazeera and Nasser Hospital. Gaza’s Interior Ministry said the victims were police officers carrying out their duties, and The Independent also reported five police officers killed.
• Three killed in Gaza City. Medics and Shifa Hospital reported three deaths in a strike in the city, according to The Independent and ABC News. Al Jazeera said a four-year-old boy was among the dead, and ABC News said a woman was seriously wounded.
• More than 1,570 killed since the truce. That is the figure ABC News attributed to Gaza’s Health Ministry for deaths since the ceasefire began. Al Jazeera cited more than 1,500 people killed in that period. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed, according to The Independent.
• At least 74,594 killed in the war. Al Jazeera cited the Gaza Ministry of Health for the toll since October 2023. ABC News reported more than 74,500 and The Independent more than 74,000; The Independent attributed its figure to Palestinian authorities.
• About 1,200 killed on Oct. 7, 2023. That is the number of people killed in southern Israel when Hamas-led fighters attacked, according to ABC News and The Independent. ABC News added that 251 people were abducted.

What each side says

The Israeli army told the AFP news agency that it was targeting a terrorist in southern Gaza. Israel says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire, and it has stepped up strikes on the group in recent weeks, according to The Independent. Hamas denies trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal.

In a statement, Hamas condemned the strikes as a deliberate war crime and accused Israel of trying to obstruct recovery efforts and sow chaos by repeatedly targeting police. The Interior Ministry said the officers were targeted while doing their jobs. ABC News noted that the Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and does not distinguish between civilians and militants, while Israel says its strikes aim at militant targets and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

In northern Gaza, at least three people died in a drone attack on Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, sources at al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera. The Taj Mall was also targeted, the outlet reported.

What it means for people living in Gaza

For Gaza’s residents, the truce has not brought security. According to The Independent, the ceasefire calls for the eventual reconstruction of the territory, but little progress has been made because negotiators have not agreed on terms for Hamas to disarm or for Israel to withdraw its troops.

Israeli forces control about two-thirds of the territory, where residents have been ordered out, The Independent reported. Nearly all of the more than 2 million residents live in the remaining third, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, still under the effective control of Hamas. That leaves a very large population crowded into a small area, with recovery stalled while strikes continue.

What is at stake for the ceasefire

With no agreement on disarmament or withdrawal, and each side accusing the other of breaking the truce, the arrangement is under growing strain. Hamas said international silence and the failure to confront the attacks only embolden Israel. Israel has stepped up its strikes in recent weeks, while Hamas says it is not rebuilding its arsenal.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, ABC News, The Independent