Israel kills civilians, raids West Bank amid collapsing Gaza ceasefire

GAZA CITY, Palestine (MNTV) — Israeli forces killed multiple Palestinians in Gaza and carried out sweeping arrests across the occupied West Bank, further exposing the collapse of a fragile ceasefire as violence escalates across Palestinian territories.

In Gaza, at least eight Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks, according to medical sources.

In Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, an airstrike targeted a group of civilians gathered near a school, killing three people. Witnesses described scenes of devastation as victims were brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where grieving relatives gathered around bodies wrapped in white shrouds.

Another Israeli drone strike in the same city hit a civilian gathering on Al-Mazraa Street — an area clearly outside the military’s designated control zone under the ceasefire agreement — killing three more Palestinians and injuring another.

Further south, Israeli gunfire killed one Palestinian in the Muawiya area northwest of Rafah, while another was shot dead near the Abu Hamid roundabout in Khan Younis. Both locations lie beyond Israeli deployment zones defined under the truce, raising serious questions about deliberate violations.

Residents also reported sustained artillery shelling targeting eastern Rafah, Khan Younis, and eastern Gaza City, indicating a continued pattern of indiscriminate bombardment despite the supposed halt in hostilities.

The killings come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts in Cairo, where Palestinian factions are meeting mediators from Egypt, Turkiye, and Qatar in an attempt to salvage the crumbling ceasefire brokered by the United States. However, for many Palestinians on the ground, the agreement has proven meaningless.

“This isn’t a truce; it’s a trap,” said a relative of one of the victims, reflecting growing anger over what many see as daily killings continuing unchecked under the cover of a ceasefire.

The truce, which came into effect in October 2025 after more than two years of devastating war, has left Israeli forces in control of a vast depopulated zone covering more than half of Gaza. Palestinians have accused Israel of gradually expanding this zone by shifting boundary markers deeper into the enclave — a claim Israel denies.

Since the ceasefire began, more than 738 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,036 injured in near-daily Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Palestinian sources put the broader toll even higher, exceeding 750 deaths, underscoring the persistent violence.

The ceasefire itself followed a prolonged Israeli military campaign widely described as genocidal, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded over 172,000, and reduced nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure to ruins.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces intensified repression through mass arrests and raids. At least 30 Palestinians were detained across multiple cities and towns, including East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office. Among those arrested were children and previously released detainees.

The raids involved house searches and property destruction, further deepening tensions in an already volatile region. Since October 2023, more than 22,000 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank, with over 1,100 killed and thousands more injured in Israeli military and settler violence.

The continued escalation comes as Israel signals readiness to resume full-scale war, while simultaneously demanding the disarmament of Palestinian groups — a condition that remains a major sticking point in negotiations.

Palestinian factions have reportedly told mediators that any discussion on disarmament is contingent on Israel fully implementing the first phase of the ceasefire, including a complete halt to attacks — a demand that remains unmet.

Adding to the mounting legal and moral pressure, the International Court of Justice previously declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the dismantling of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Despite this, Israeli operations across Gaza and the West Bank continue unabated, raising fears that the already fragile ceasefire could collapse entirely and plunge the region back into full-scale conflict.