A hospital in the Gaza Strip has reported that Israeli military fire across a ceasefire boundary on Friday killed at least five Palestinians, one of whom was an infant. The incident threatens to further destabilise a fragile truce that has shown little progress in recent weeks.
Details of the Deadly Incident
According to Rami Mhanna, the managing director of Shifa Hospital, the five individuals died in the Tuffah neighbourhood, an eastern district of Gaza City. The casualties were brought to the hospital following the shooting.
In a statement, the Israeli military said its troops had identified "a number of suspicious individuals … in command structures west of the Yellow Line" and opened fire. The military added that the incident was under review and expressed regret for "any harm to uninvolved individuals."
The Yellow Line is a demarcation established under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect in October. It separates the Israeli-controlled sector of Gaza from the remainder of the Palestinian territory.
Stalled Truce and Diplomatic Efforts
The killings occurred against a backdrop of a stalled peace process. The initial Israel-Hamas ceasefire, now in its third month, has largely held but has been marred by slow progress and mutual accusations of violations.
Also on Friday, a US official confirmed that President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was planning to host top officials from mediating Middle Eastern countries in Florida. The aim of these talks is to push the ceasefire into its second, more complex phase.
This next stage is intended to address significantly greater challenges, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force, the creation of a technocratic governing body for Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and further Israeli troop withdrawals.
Context of the Ongoing Conflict
The first phase of the ceasefire began in October, shortly after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people. In the subsequent prisoner exchanges, all but one of the 251 hostages taken that day have been released, alive or dead, in return for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The broader war in Gaza has resulted in a devastating toll. According to the territory's Health Ministry, more than 70,660 Palestinians have been killed, with roughly half being women and children. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and its records are generally viewed as reliable by international observers, though it does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its counts.
