In brief
Israeli airstrikes on Monday left three Palestinians dead and several wounded in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza health officials. Medics identified two deaths in Khan Younis and one in Al‑Mussadar, while Israeli forces said they targeted militants. The incident underscores tense, stalled ceasefire negotiations.
Three Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Monday, according to Gaza health officials, with medics reporting fatalities in Khan Younis and Al‑Mussadar.
Gaza’s territory health department said medics identified two people who died and six others wounded in separate strikes in the southern town of Khan Younis, while a third death was confirmed in the eastern town of Al‑Mussadar.
The Israeli military said it carried out two airstrikes inside the enclave, describing the attacks as targeting Palestinian militants. It did not release details on the nature or origin of the strikes.
Context and broader fallout
The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas remain stalled, with negotiations touching on the conditions for Hamas to disarm and the withdrawal of Israeli forces that control about two‑thirds of Gaza. Since the October ceasefire, territory‑based figures put the Palestinian death toll at 1,580, Reuters reported, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed.
Over the past week, Gaza health officials have documented more than 1,500 Palestinian casualties from Israeli attacks, a figure that stands in contrast to the 74,000 reported by Palestinian authorities as a result of Israel's assault launched after Hamas‑led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has denied rebuilding its arsenal, insisting that it refrains from attacks due to the ceasefire, and has accused Israel of undermining the peace deal. Israel, meanwhile, cites the group's rearming as justification for intensified strikes.
The U.S. and other international actors have urged both sides to resume negotiations, with the ceasefire last year calling for eventual reconstruction of Gaza.
In the days since the fight intensified, Gaza residents have been living in tents and damaged buildings, with most of the more than two million inhabitants remaining in the enclave’s remaining third.
