Gaza Ceasefire: Israeli Fire Kills at Least Five

Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least five Palestinians in separate incidents in Gaza on Tuesday, Oct. 20, including a married couple and a 17-year-old, health officials said. The reports differ on the total: Haaretz reported five deaths, AL-Monitor at least four, and the Associated Press reported two people killed in the pre-dawn apartment attack. The violence continued under a ceasefire that Israel and Hamas agreed to more than a year ago.

The ceasefire, on the ground

Medics told AL-Monitor an Israeli airstrike killed Akram Yassin and his wife, Dina Abu Baker, in their Gaza City apartment. The Israeli military said it struck a militant in the area but gave no further details. The Associated Press, citing Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies, also reported that a man and his wife died. It said the military described its target as a Hamas militant.

The reports didn't identify the couple as militants. AP captions identified them as Dina Yassin and her husband, and said their daughter, Dima Yassin, mourned at their funeral. Palestinians inspected the damaged apartment building before gathering for the funeral.

In southern Gaza, medics said Israeli gunfire killed a 17-year-old boy near the Qizan Al-Najar neighbourhood. Another person died from Israeli gunfire in the Zeitoun suburb east of Gaza City, AL-Monitor reported. Haaretz gave a higher total of five, but its report didn't provide further identifying details about the additional death reflected in that count.

Mahmoud Yassin, whose brother was killed, described the gap between the ceasefire’s name and what people were experiencing: “We're supposed to be in a ceasefire period, but honestly, we are not seeing a ceasefire or anything. The war is still going on, assassinations are continuing, and the shelling has not stopped.”

Competing claims, continuing deaths

The Associated Press reported that Monday’s strikes killed at least four people. It said Israel continued near-daily strikes on what it described as members of Hamas. AL-Monitor reported Israel’s claim that Hamas had been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire, and that Israel had stepped up strikes on the group in recent weeks.

Hamas denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accused Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal. Those competing statements don't change the immediate fact medics recorded: Israeli fire killed Palestinians in their homes and neighbourhoods, while officials and armed authorities disputed the justification and the meaning of the ceasefire.

The United States brokered the ceasefire, which calls for the territory’s eventual reconstruction. But little progress had been made toward implementing a deal to end the conflict, including terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops. The agreement’s promised next steps remain stalled as strikes continue.

The toll beyond Tuesday

Gaza health officials said Israeli fire had killed at least 1,500 Palestinians since the ceasefire. The Associated Press described the health ministry as part of the Hamas-run government and said it maintains detailed records, is generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, and doesn't distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll. The ministry says women and children make up nearly half of those killed.

Israel said militants in Gaza had killed four of its soldiers over the same period. Those figures record losses on both sides; they don't make the power exercised over people in Gaza disappear. On Tuesday, residents gathered around a damaged home and a family mourned, while the ceasefire’s terms remained largely unimplemented.