Israeli Airstrikes Kill Three in Gaza as Ceasefire Strains Under Rising Violence

Health officials in Gaza said at least three people died and several more were hurt in Israeli attacks on Monday. Medics reported two deaths and six injuries from a pair of separate raids around Khan Younis in the south, while another person was killed in an airstrike on the town of Al-Mussadar. Israel’s military confirmed it hit two targets in the territory, saying the aim was to strike militants, and gave no further details.

Israel and Hamas Trade Accusations Over the Ceasefire

Israel claims Hamas has been rebuilding its weapons stock and launching attacks, which it calls a breach of the truce reached a year ago, and it has increased its strikes on the group over recent weeks. Hamas rejects those claims and says Israel is the one damaging the peace deal. Since the US-brokered ceasefire began, at least 1,580 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities, while Israel reports four of its soldiers dead.

Gaza Reconstruction Stalls and Humanitarian Conditions

The ceasefire envisions rebuilding the territory, yet progress has been minimal because negotiators cannot settle how Hamas would disarm or when Israeli forces would pull back. Those troops hold roughly two thirds of Gaza after ordering residents to leave. Almost all of the more than 2 million people there are crowded into the remaining third, living in tents and damaged buildings amid ruins, in an area still largely run by Hamas.

Death Toll Since the War Began

Palestinian authorities put the overall toll above 74,000 since Israel launched its offensive following the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel.