Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in two attacks in Gaza on Saturday, Oct. 10, health officials said. Medics said four people died near Panda Mall in Gaza City; another person was killed in the Tuffah neighbourhood. The Israeli military said both strikes targeted militants, but offered no further information.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces had killed at least eight Palestinians in several areas of Gaza since dawn, including an eight-year-old Palestinian girl. The deaths came on the first anniversary of a US-brokered ceasefire. The casualty accounts differ: Middle East Eye reported more than 1,400 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks during the year since the truce, while Gaza health officials separately said Israeli fire had killed at least 1,400 people since the ceasefire was agreed last October. Israel said militants had killed four of its soldiers in Gaza over the same period.
A ceasefire with unfinished terms
Israel has stepped up strikes against Hamas in recent weeks, saying the group has been rearming and carrying out attacks in violation of the ceasefire. Hamas denies rebuilding its arsenal or planning attacks, and accuses Israel of undermining the truce. The claims sit alongside a daily accounting of deaths. The military offered no further details about the two strikes.
The agreement calls for Gaza’s eventual reconstruction. But little progress has followed on a deal to end the conflict, which requires Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops. The truce hasn't stopped the strikes described in the reports, and the proposed steps toward reconstruction and withdrawal remain largely unimplemented.
The Gaza war began after Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage. Gaza health officials say Israel’s subsequent bombardment and ground operations in Gaza have killed more than 74,000 people. Those figures trace the war from Hamas attacks through the Israeli state’s military response. People living through the conflict remain subject to armed decisions made above them.
Aid moves as the attacks continue
The UAE began airlifting food aid to Gaza on Friday under the newly launched Ahmed bin Rashid Humanitarian Bridge. The initiative aims to supply more than 10 million meals to Palestinians. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 launched flights carrying food parcels from Al Maktoum International Airport. Volunteers, community members and admirers of Sheikh Ahmed gathered at Dubai World Trade Centre to prepare packages for families and children in Gaza.
The bridge is scheduled to move aid by air and sea in seven consignments: six flights carrying 450 tonnes of food parcels and one vessel carrying 4,000 tonnes of supplies. Hammoud Al Afari, director of UAE relief operations under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, said the bridge augmented the UAE’s humanitarian efforts. “The launch of flights under the Ahmed bin Rashid Humanitarian Bridge reflects the high level of efficiency and expertise of the Emirati teams involved in Operation Chivalrous Knight 3,” he said.
Al Afari said Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, launched in November 2023 under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed, had served as a lifeline for Palestinians. Its continuity and geographical reach, he said, helped large segments of the population cope with difficult living conditions. The operation combines emergency relief, health care, logistical support, recovery and rehabilitation programmes.
Since November 2023, the UAE says it has provided more than $4 billion in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, or 46 per cent of global humanitarian aid since 2023. It reports delivering 130,708 tonnes of relief, medical and food supplies using 796 aircraft, 25 ships and 14,483 lorries. The published scale of the airlift sits alongside an agreement whose reconstruction and withdrawal provisions have seen little progress, while Palestinian deaths continue to be reported.