Gaza casualties mount as Israeli strikes continue despite October ceasefire
Palestinian health officials report further deaths and injuries across Gaza as Israeli air operations persist in violation of the US-brokered truce agreed in October 2025.
An Israeli air strike on an apartment in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, has killed a father, a mother, and their six-year-old daughter. Palestinian health officials confirmed that a second child survived the attack, being recovered by Palestinian Civil Defence teams after they extinguished a fire caused by the strike. The incident occurred on Wednesday, marking another breach of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was agreed in October 2025.
The Israeli army confirmed the operation, stating that it had targeted a Hamas fighter. This assertion comes as Israeli air attacks continue to escalate across the territory despite the truce. In addition to the strike in Deir el-Balah, Israeli aircraft hit a rehabilitation centre in Gaza City and a park in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where hundreds of displaced families were sheltering.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that over the latest 24-hour period, at least 12 bodies were brought to hospitals, one person died of wounds, and 18 were wounded in Israeli attacks. Al Jazeera reporter Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza City, noted that children are being killed daily in Gaza. She added that survivors often die from their wounds due to a lack of medical supplies and hospitals operating with severely reduced capacity.
The persistence of these air operations stands in stark contrast to the diplomatic framework established in October 2025. While most ground fighting has subsided since the agreement, Israeli air attacks have killed more than 1,100 people, including at least 275 children, according to recent reports. The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency has stated that 96 percent of children in Gaza feel that death is imminent.
Prospects for a permanent end to hostilities remain elusive as talks towards a second phase of the ceasefire have largely stalled. This subsequent phase was intended to see Hamas give up its weapons and Israel fully withdraw from Gaza. The conflict, which began in October 2023 after a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, has resulted in significant casualties and widespread destruction across the territory.
