Doctor killed in Gaza strike as settler violence escalates in West Bank

Dr Jamal Abu Aboun, the head of anaesthesia at Al-Yafa Medical Hospital, was killed and three others injured, including a child, in an Israeli drone strike near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. The attack occurred on Saturday, the fourth day of the Eid al-Adha holiday, with a medical source confirming that the victims arrived at the hospital following the strike on a group of civilians.

Concurrent violence erupted across the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers targeted Palestinian homes and property in both the northern and southern regions. In Beita, south of Nablus, settlers threw stones at residences and smashed vehicles, while state-run Voice of Palestine radio reported that Israeli forces fired light bombs into the sky over the town. In the southern West Bank, settlers damaged farmland and uprooted trees in Khirbet el-Muraq within Masafer Yatta.

The Gaza Media Office reported that at least 922 Palestinians have been killed and 2,786 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire was implemented in October. This figure follows broader conflict statistics indicating that since the war began in October 2023, at least 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 172,000 injured in Gaza.

In separate developments, Israeli soldiers have provided testimony to The Associated Press describing a climate of dehumanisation and permissive rules of engagement during the ceasefire period. Reservists who served between last October and January stated that troops frequently opened fire on Palestinians approaching or crossing the so-called Yellow Line, a poorly marked boundary separating Israeli-occupied areas from the rest of the enclave.

One reservist described the environment as a jungle, noting that after the ceasefire, the standing order was to shoot anyone crossing the line. Another soldier reported that commanders emphasised holding territory at all costs and that there was a general feeling that human lives were not valuable, with some troops celebrating after a strike on a vehicle killed everyone inside.

Violence in the West Bank has intensified since the start of the war, with Palestinian figures reporting that Israeli forces and settlers have killed 1,168 Palestinians, injured 12,666, displaced about 33,000, and detained nearly 23,000 since October 2023. The Palestinian state-run Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission noted that Israeli settlers carried out at least 540 attacks in April alone, ranging from physical violence to the demolition of homes and agricultural structures.

Earlier in the day, Israeli artillery shelling targeted areas east and south of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza, as well as the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. These incidents underscore the continued violations of the United States-backed ceasefire aimed at halting the conflict, which has seen persistent hostilities across both Gaza and the West Bank.