Israel violates US-brokered and UN-mandated ceasefire, continues targeting Palestinians

GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) – Israel continued to breach the U.S.-brokered and UN-mandated ceasefire on Wednesday, carrying out lethal attacks across Gaza while expanding arrests in the occupied West Bank.

The violations come as a powerful winter storm moves across Palestine, worsening an already dire situation for displaced families living in fragile shelters.

In Jabalia, northern Gaza, three Palestinians, including a young boy, were killed this afternoon. The Palestinian WAFA news agency identified the child as Zahir Nasser Shamiya, reporting that Israeli forces shot him and then ran him over with a military vehicle.

Witnesses said soldiers blocked ambulance crews for hours, preventing paramedics from reaching the child’s body.

The latest killings raise the number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began on October 10 to 383, deepening questions about the credibility and enforcement of the truce negotiated with heavy diplomatic involvement from Washington and formal backing at the UN Security Council.

Storm compounds crisis

Local officials say the attack in Jabalia was one of several incidents across the Strip. In eastern Gaza City, Israeli forces blew up residential buildings shortly before the arrival of Storm Byron, a large system expected to bring flash floods, strong winds, and hail through Friday evening.

The Palestinian Meteorological Department warned that the storm would hit the entire territory, including communities already devastated by months of bombardment.

Humanitarian agencies fear the effects will be catastrophic. More than a million Palestinians are displaced across Gaza, many living in makeshift tents, schools, and damaged structures. Most shelters are unheated, overcrowded, and unable to withstand heavy rain.

Gaza City’s mayor said several major roads were already inaccessible by Wednesday afternoon, and early flooding had submerged entire rows of tents.

“People have nowhere to move,” municipal engineers told media outlets, adding that many families are attempting to reinforce their shelters with plastic sheets and blankets as the storm intensifies.

Across Gaza, residents say the combination of military attacks and winter conditions has created a new phase of crisis.

“We survived the bombing, but we may not survive the cold,” said Um Ahmed, displaced from Shujaiya and now sheltering in a school. “The tents leak, the ground is mud, and the children are sick. We feel abandoned.”

West Bank raids intensify

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces launched a series of raids late Tuesday and early Wednesday, arresting at least 100 Palestinians in towns and refugee camps across the territory.

Human rights groups say Israel has increased arrests since the Gaza ceasefire began, targeting community leaders, students, and relatives of Hamas members. Many detainees are held under administrative detention, without charge or trial.

As tensions rise, diplomatic efforts continue behind the scenes.

According to a report by the U.K.-based Middle East Eye, Hamas conveyed a significant proposal to Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators in Cairo last week. A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks said Hamas offered to freeze all offensive operations for up to a decade and bury its weapons if Israel fully withdrew from Gaza.

The official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, described the proposal as a “serious shift” intended to push the ceasefire talks into a more durable political phase. The offer represents the most far-reaching position Hamas has communicated publicly or privately since the war began.

Despite these signals, Israel has continued military operations with little sign of de-escalation.

Palestinian authorities say Israeli drones and artillery fire struck several locations overnight, including open farmland and areas near shelters where displaced families had recently arrived. Israel has not commented on the latest incidents.

Broader toll

The broader toll of Israel’s war on Gaza remains staggering. Since October 2023, at least 70,366 Palestinians have been killed and more than 171,000 wounded, according to the Health Ministry.

Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, and basic services — from hospitals to water treatment facilities — barely function.

International pressure on Israel has grown as images of the humanitarian crisis continue to circulate. The UN Secretary-General warned last week that Gaza is already experiencing “a near-complete collapse of civilian life.” Humanitarian convoys remain limited, and aid groups say the ceasefire has not produced the level of access needed to stabilize conditions.

Diplomats involved in the ceasefire talks say the storm may dramatically worsen the situation, adding urgency to calls for Israel to halt all operations and allow unrestricted humanitarian access.

“We were told there is a ceasefire,” said Abu Nidal, a displaced father of four sheltering in Beit Lahia. “But the killing has not stopped. The destruction has not stopped. The storm is coming, and we have nothing left. How much more are we supposed to endure?”

As the ceasefire continues to unravel, the world watches a battered Gaza brace for yet another blow — this time not from bombs, but from the sky.