Israeli military assaults on the Gaza Strip have continued despite the ceasefire agreement announced on 10 October, resulting in the killing of three Palestinians, one of whom succumbed to wounds sustained in a previous strike.
According to local sources, three people were killed on Friday as Israeli forces resumed their bombardment of various areas across the Gaza Strip, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Medical sources reported that Hamdi Ahmad al-Barim was killed when Israeli warplanes bombed his home in the Musabbih neighbourhood of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
They added that Mohammad Salem Qudeih died of injuries he had sustained in an earlier strike targeting a displaced persons’ tent in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. Another man was shot dead by Israeli forces on al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City.
During the night, Israeli forces also detonated several civilian homes east of Gaza City and east of Khan Younis, causing massive explosions in the area, while Israeli naval vessels opened fire off the coast of Gaza City.
The continued bombardment of populated areas constitutes a flagrant violation of international obligations, particularly those requiring the protection of civilians during armed conflicts. The indiscriminate targeting of homes and civilian zones breaches the principles of distinction and proportionality enshrined in international humanitarian law, which oblige warring parties to refrain from attacking objects that do not serve a direct military purpose.
Furthermore, the targeting of displaced persons’ tents, whose inhabitants are entitled to special protection under the Geneva Conventions, reflects a repeated disregard for the most basic humanitarian norms. It also deepens the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where residents continue to endure widespread destruction and a near-total collapse of essential living conditions, including shelter, healthcare, food, and access to safe drinking water.
This escalation comes as the Strip is still reeling from the aftermath of a devastating two-year war of extermination that left over 68,000 people dead and 170,000 wounded, the majority of them women and children, amid the absence of any genuine accountability for the grave violations committed during that war.
The relentless killing of civilians in such a recurring manner exposes a profound moral and humanitarian collapse and underscores the urgent need for decisive international action to end the culture of impunity and ensure at least a minimum level of protection for a population trapped in an unending war and in ceasefire agreements violated within hours of being signed.
