Killings Continue In Gaza Despite Truce

The death toll in Gaza continues to climb despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, as fresh attacks and humanitarian challenges deepen the crisis in the besieged enclave.

Doha broadcaster – Al Jazeera, citing the enclave’s Ministry of Health, reports that in the last 24 hours alone, the bodies of 29 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks have arrived at hospitals across Gaza.

The ministry confirmed that the figure includes 22 recovered bodies, three individuals who succumbed to their injuries, and four others killed in new Israeli strikes. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the war began on October 7, 2023, to 67,967, with 170,179 wounded. Notably, 23 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect just days ago, the ministry added.

Aid shortages persist

While the ceasefire was expected to usher in a wave of humanitarian relief, Palestinians across Gaza remain in dire need of food, water, and medical supplies. The agreement had stipulated that 600 humanitarian aid trucks would be allowed into Gaza daily.

However, Israel has since reduced that number to 300 trucks per day, citing delays in retrieving the bodies of Israeli captives buried under rubble caused by its own bombardments.

According to the UN2720 Monitoring and Tracking Dashboard, which oversees the movement of humanitarian aid, only 216 trucks reached their intended destinations inside Gaza between October 10 and 16. Truck drivers have reported significant delays, blaming prolonged Israeli inspections for the bottlenecks.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs, taken on October 14 and 15, shows long lines of aid trucks queuing on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, awaiting clearance to proceed to the Karem Abu Salem crossing. The delay has left many communities without essential supplies.

A few bakeries in Gaza, supported by the UN World Food Programme, have resumed limited bread production after some aid trucks were finally allowed entry. However, after months of a total blockade, the risk of famine remains high. Families continue to struggle with food insecurity, and many are surviving on minimal rations.

The Gaza Water Authority has also raised an alarm over the worsening water crisis. In a statement reported by Wafa, the authority said its crews are distributing limited water supplies via tankers as part of an emergency plan.

The statement emphasised that efforts are ongoing in collaboration with international organisations, despite severe equipment shortages and logistical challenges.

“The priority at this stage is to ensure access to safe and usable water,” the authority said, warning that the humanitarian situation could deteriorate further if the water shortage persists.

It called on the international community and humanitarian groups to accelerate the repair of water infrastructure, particularly in Khan Younis and other affected areas.

Israel threatens to resume fighting

Amid the fragile ceasefire, tensions escalated on Wednesday when Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, threatened to resume military operations if Hamas fails to meet the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire.

The warning came after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased Israeli hostages. The group stated that it would be unable to retrieve additional bodies without specialised equipment.

Since Monday, Hamas has returned 20 surviving hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails.

Before the latest handover, Hamas had already returned the remains of seven of 28 known deceased hostages, along with an eighth body that Israel said did not belong to a former hostage.

“If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” Katz’s office said in a statement.

Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, responded by stating that the two bodies returned would be the last for now, citing logistical challenges.

 “The Resistance has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the corpses it could access,” the group said on social media.

“As for the remaining corpses, it requires extensive efforts and special equipment for their retrieval and extraction. We are exerting great effort in order to close this file,” the statement added.

Despite Israel’s threat, senior US advisors said Wednesday that Hamas still intends to honour the deal.

“We continue to hear from them that they intend to honour the deal. They want to see the deal completed in that regard,” one advisor told reporters anonymously.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Hamas, saying, “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.” Trump did not specify what killings he was referring to, nor did he provide evidence to support the claim.

Recent reports suggest clashes between Hamas and rival Palestinian factions, some of which allegedly received Israeli backing during the war, have intensified in parts of Gaza. (Daily trust)