Gaza Violence Continues as Israel Kills Two Despite Ceasefire Deal 1

Israeli forces have killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to local reports, as Israel continues to breach a ceasefire agreement and restrict the entry of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into the devastated coastal enclave.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Monday that Israeli troops opened fire in the Shujayea neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City, killing two people. Their deaths bring the total number of Palestinians reported killed across Gaza in the past 24 hours to at least 12. Among them are eight people whose bodies were recovered from beneath the rubble left by earlier bombardments.

The latest incident in Gaza City is part of what Palestinian officials describe as hundreds of Israeli violations of a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on October 10.

Gaza’s Government Media Office on Monday strongly condemned what it described as Israel’s “serious and systematic violations” of the truce. In a statement, the office said Israeli authorities have breached the ceasefire 875 times since it began.

These violations include continued Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling, the unlawful demolition of Palestinian homes and other civilian infrastructure, and at least 265 separate incidents in which Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinian civilians, the statement said.

According to the media office, at least 411 Palestinians have been killed and 1,112 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the ceasefire came into force.

Worsening humanitarian conditions

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families displaced by Israel’s war on Gaza continue to face acute shortages of basic humanitarian supplies, including food, medicine and shelter. Under international law, Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, is obligated to ensure the welfare of the civilian population.

However, the United Nations and humanitarian organisations say Israel has consistently failed to allow the unrestricted flow of aid into the territory, significantly worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Conditions have further deteriorated as a series of winter storms battered Gaza in recent weeks. Human rights groups say Israel’s refusal to permit the entry of tents, blankets and other essential supplies has placed lives at risk, particularly among displaced families exposed to harsh weather.

On Monday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said that only 17,819 aid trucks had entered the territory since the ceasefire began in October, far short of the 43,800 trucks that were supposed to be allowed in during that period.

That figure represents an average of just 244 trucks per day, well below the 600 daily aid trucks Israel committed to allow under the ceasefire agreement, the office said.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated calls on Monday for all restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza to be lifted, including limitations on shelter materials.

“Over the past 24 hours, and despite the ceasefire, we have continued to receive reports of air strikes, shelling and gunfire in all five governorates of Gaza,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “This has resulted in reported casualties and disruptions to humanitarian operations.”

Dujarric said UN humanitarian partners are working to respond to Gaza’s vast shelter needs, particularly for displaced families living in unsafe and overcrowded conditions.

“Our partners continue to work to improve access to dignified shelter for approximately 1.3 million people in Gaza,” he said, adding that around 3,500 families affected by recent storms are currently living in flood-prone areas.

He noted that recent aid deliveries have included tents, bedding kits, mattresses, blankets and winter clothing for children, but stressed that the scale of need remains overwhelming.

The renewed appeals for humanitarian access come a day after Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned that severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies were undermining the ability of health workers to care for patients.

Nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed during Israel’s two-year military campaign, with at least 125 medical facilities affected, including 34 hospitals.

According to Palestinian health authorities, Israeli military operations have killed at least 70,937 Palestinians in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, the majority of them women and children. A further 171,192 people have been injured, placing immense strain on Gaza’s shattered healthcare system and deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.