Gaza Ceasefire Frays as Israeli Fire Kills Couple, Teen

Akram Yassin and his wife, Dina Abu Baker, died in their Gaza City apartment before dawn on Tuesday. Medics told AL-Monitor that an Israeli airstrike killed them. By day’s end, at least five Palestinians had died in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip, health officials said; one was a 17-year-old boy.

Reports gave different tolls. Haaretz reported five dead, while AL-Monitor counted at least four. The Associated Press said two people died in the apartment attack and others were wounded. None of the reports explained the additional death in Haaretz’s higher count.

Civilian Toll

The Israeli military said it struck a militant in the area but gave no further details. Citing Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies, the AP said the military identified its target as a Hamas militant. A man and his wife died.

In Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, medics said Israeli gunfire killed a 17-year-old boy near the Qizan Al-Najar neighbourhood. Israeli gunfire also killed another person in Zeitoun, east of Gaza City. Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian child in the south.

The apartment strike came after a series of attacks on Monday that killed at least four people, the AP reported. Palestinians inspected the damaged building, then gathered for the couple’s funeral. AP photo captions showed the couple’s daughter, Dima Yassin, mourning there.

Voices From the Ground

Mahmoud Yassin lost his brother in the strike. He didn’t mince words. “We’re supposed to be in a ceasefire period, but honestly, we are not seeing a ceasefire or anything,” he said. “The war is still going on, assassinations are continuing, and the shelling has not stopped.”

His account reflects the pattern the AP described. More than a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, Israel continues near-daily strikes on people it says are Hamas members. Gaza’s health ministry says Israel has killed more than 1,500 Palestinians since the truce took hold. The ministry belongs to the Hamas-run government, but the AP noted that it keeps detailed records and is generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Its count doesn’t distinguish civilians from militants. The ministry says women and children account for nearly half of those killed.

The Stalled Deal

Israel says its strikes respond to violations. It says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks, and AL-Monitor reported that Israel has intensified strikes on the group in recent weeks. Israel says militants in Gaza have killed four of its soldiers since the ceasefire began. Hamas denies trying to attack Israel or rebuild its arsenal. It accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire, reached a year ago, calls for the territory’s eventual reconstruction. Little progress has come toward an agreement to end the conflict, including terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops. Each side blames the other. Meanwhile, the funerals continue.

Why This Matters:

A ceasefire that kills 1,500 people isn’t what Gazans were promised. The divide between the truce on paper and strikes on the ground leaves families like the Yassins without safety or a path to rebuilding. Israel’s security concerns are real. Four soldiers have died, and Israel says Hamas is rearming. Yet the ministry says women and children make up nearly half of the dead, and every strike that kills bystanders feeds the grievance sustaining the conflict. Without progress on disarmament, withdrawal and reconstruction, the truce risks becoming a name for a slower war. The mediators who brokered it have a responsibility to press both sides to honor the terms they agreed to. While diplomatic efforts stall, Gaza’s civilians keep paying for it.