Israel’s ongoing air strikes and shootings in Gaza have shattered hopes for stability under the US-brokered ceasefire with Hamas, leaving nearly 100 Palestinians dead since October 10.
The United States is now intensifying diplomatic efforts to salvage the fragile truce.
The Palestinian Civil Defence agency reported that four civilians were killed in separate incidents after being shot “while returning to check on their homes” in the al-Shaaf area, east of the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City.
Israel’s military, however, claimed that its forces fired at militants who allegedly crossed the “yellow line” of demarcation near the Shujayea neighbourhood and “posed a threat” to its troops. The yellow line, introduced in a map released by US President Donald Trump on October 4, marks the zone Israeli troops were ordered to remain behind under the ceasefire deal.
Local residents said the demarcation was unclear. “The whole area is in ruins. We saw the maps but we can’t tell where those lines are,” said Samir, a 50-year-old resident of Tuffah.
Rising death toll amid “blatant breaches”
Since the truce took effect, at least 97 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials. Both Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire terms.
On Sunday, Israeli air attacks killed 42 people, including children. Israel said the strikes were in response to a ceasefire breach after two of its soldiers were shot dead in Rafah.
Hamas, however, denied responsibility, saying it had no contact with any of its remaining units in Israeli-controlled parts of Rafah and accused Israel of fabricating “pretexts” to resume its military operations.
Humanitarian aid disruptions and hostage updates
Amid the escalating violence, Israel briefly halted humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza, threatening to suspend all assistance. Although Israeli officials later said the deliveries had resumed, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that aid trucks were still facing major delays.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported that “several military checkpoints are blocking their entry, and these trucks are packed with various humanitarian supplies.”
Meanwhile, the Red Cross confirmed receiving the body of a 13th deceased Israeli captive from Hamas on Monday. The group, which has so far released 20 living captives, said it was facing “major challenges” in completing the transfer of remaining bodies due to widespread destruction in Gaza.
Amid fears of a complete collapse of the truce, US envoys have stepped up efforts to prevent renewed large-scale conflict.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday. US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are expected to visit Israel on Tuesday to continue discussions aimed at restoring calm.
The next phase of the ceasefire reportedly includes plans to disarm Hamas, oversee an Israeli withdrawal from additional parts of Gaza, and establish an internationally backed “board of peace” to manage the devastated enclave’s governance.
