Gaza Strikes Kill at Least Seven on Tuesday as the Ceasefire Struggles to Hold

Local health officials say at least seven Palestinians died in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Among them were Fadi Rajab and his 13-year-old son Abubakr, who medics say were killed when a strike hit the roof of a shelter housing displaced families in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood. Another person died in a separate airstrike near a school in the Daraj area. Later in the day, a strike on a metal foundry in Sabra killed three more, and a man was shot dead by Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis in the south.

What the Israeli Military Says

The army said its strikes in Zeitoun and Daraj targeted militants but gave no further details. It had not commented on the Khan Younis and Sabra incidents when the report was filed.

Ceasefire Stalls Over Disarmament and Withdrawal

The US-brokered truce reached last year envisioned Gaza’s eventual reconstruction, yet little has moved forward. Negotiators remain stuck on terms for Hamas to lay down its weapons and for Israel to pull back troops, who hold roughly two thirds of the territory and have ordered residents out of those areas. Israel claims Hamas is regrouping and rebuilding its arsenal, while Hamas says it respects the agreement and accuses Israel of trying to undermine it.

Death Toll Since the Ceasefire

Gaza’s health authorities say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the truce began, while Israel reports four of its soldiers killed. Palestinian officials put the total toll of the war at more than 74,000, a conflict that began after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.