Israeli attacks leave more dead in Gaza as ceasefire nears one year

Israeli attacks have left more Palestinians dead in Gaza as the ceasefire approaches its first anniversary, without bringing an end to the violence.

At least eight Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in Israeli strikes and gunfire across the enclave on Thursday and Friday, according to local medical sources and rescue workers.

On Friday, Israeli troops reportedly shot dead a Palestinian man near refugee camps in central Gaza, wounding several others.

Seven people were reported killed on Thursday, including three in drone strikes on a vehicle and a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City.

“Two people, a woman and a child, were killed and others were wounded when Israeli aircraft bombed a residential building” in Gaza City, the Civil Defense Service said. Another woman was killed by artillery fire, while a separate fatality was reported in central Gaza.

The Israeli military told AFP that three of those killed were members of armed groups and said it was checking reports concerning the other four deaths.

The US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025. Israel has continued to conduct strikes, saying it is targeting militants and accusing Hamas of violating the agreement.

More than 1,450 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,000 wounded since the truce began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. UK-based aid group Islamic Relief said on Thursday that an average of one Palestinian has been killed or wounded every 90 minutes over the past year, with at least 320 children among those killed.

The agreement envisioned Israeli troop withdrawals and reconstruction, but progress has stalled over Hamas disarmament demands. The group said it had agreed in principle to a US-backed proposal but would not surrender its weapons until Israeli forces had withdrawn completely. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Hamas disarm before further withdrawals. He has also said he ordered the IDF to expand its control to 70% of Gaza, up from roughly 53% when the ceasefire took effect.

Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents have been displaced during the war, which has left much of the enclave in ruins. Around 82% of its structures have been damaged or destroyed, according to Islamic Relief, while reconstruction has barely begun.

Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 74,200 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Netanyahu has also faced scrutiny over reports that he received advance warnings of the October 7 attack but downplayed the threat. Haaretz reported that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed had warned him of a possible major Hamas operation roughly ten days beforehand. Netanyahu’s office dismissed the allegation as an “absolute lie.” The Israeli leader traveled to Abu Dhabi in late September to seek a denial of the claim that he had been warned.