Washington: Israel has killed almost 100 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded around 230 since the fragile truce began on October 10. The deal came after long talks led by the United States. It was meant to end the war. Gaza never got that peace.
Israeli troops opened fire on unarmed civilians. Fighter jets dropped bombs again. The latest wave came on Sunday. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said Hamas fighters attacked its soldiers in Rafah, which is under Tel Aviv’s control.
The war has turned Gaza into a wasteland. International organisations and a United Nations commission now call it “genocide”. More than 68,000 Palestinians have died. Over 170,200 are wounded. On the Israeli side, 1,139 people were killed during the Hamas-led assault of October 7, 2023. Nearly 200 were held hostage.
The ceasefire was supposed to stop all that. It was supposed to rebuild hope and let Gaza breathe again.
The Fire That Never Went Out
The Israeli army said Hamas broke the truce on Sunday. Two Hamas fighters allegedly killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah.
Israel responded with a “massive and extensive wave” of air strikes across Gaza.
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades denied any clashes. The group said Rafah is under full Israeli control and no Palestinian fighters were operating there.
Israel has accused Hamas of refusing to return the bodies of 28 captives killed in earlier bombardments. Hamas said it needs digging equipment to retrieve the remains buried under the wreckage. Thousands of Palestinians also lie beneath the ruins. Gaza’s officials believe over 10,000 bodies remain trapped below collapsed homes.
What The Ceasefire Promised
The ceasefire came from a 20-point plan introduced by US President Donald Trump in late September. Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye acted as mediators.
The plan required both sides to stop all fighting. Israel was supposed to lift its blockade and allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza. Hamas was expected to release all captives, alive or dead. Israel was to free about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and people who had disappeared in custody.
The plan also called for Hamas to step away from governing Gaza. A technocratic administration would take over. Israeli forces would withdraw in phases. Hamas would disarm. Some fighters would receive amnesty. Others would be granted safe passage to other countries.
Hamas agreed to release captives and accept an “independent Palestinian administration” for Gaza. For the rest, the group said the matters must be handled “within an inclusive Palestinian national framework, of which we will be an integral part and to which we will contribute”.
Israel’s Record Under The Truce
The Government Media Office in Gaza says Israel has violated the ceasefire 80 times. Ninety-seven Palestinians have died in those attacks.
On Friday, Israeli forces opened fire on a civilian car in the Zeitoun neighbourhood. Eleven people from the Abu Shaaban family were killed. Seven were children. Three were women. They were on their way home.
On Sunday, air raids killed dozens more across Gaza.
On Monday, Israel claimed to honour the truce again. Hours later, its army attacked northern Gaza’s Shujayea area. Several Palestinians were killed. Israel said they “posed a threat” after crossing the “yellow line”, a vague border marked by the Israeli army.
That yellow line now defines fear in Gaza. It runs through open fields and ruins. Anyone crossing it risks being shot.
Israel has also restricted aid. The Rafah crossing remains closed. On Tuesday, the United Nations said Israel will allow only 300 aid trucks. The original deal promised twice that number.
Hamas’s Record Under The Truce
Hamas has released all 20 living captives. It has returned 12 of the 28 dead bodies.
The group insists it still respects the ceasefire. It says the search for captives’ bodies is slow because Gaza lies buried under its own ruins.
Without new machines and help from outside, recovery work moves inch by inch. Gaza’s civil defence says more than 10,000 Palestinians remain trapped beneath debris and concrete.
Life After The Truce
Many families tried to return. Most found nothing left. Entire neighbourhoods have vanished. Streets turned into sand. People walk through rubble to find the place where their homes once stood.
The yellow line keeps them afraid. No one knows where it begins or ends. More than half of Gaza now lies under Israeli control.
Food is scarce. Clean water is rare. Aid trucks stand waiting. Israel keeps the gates shut.
Israel says it will hold a “buffer zone” until it feels no “terror threat”.
Analysts say it gives Israel freedom to stay indefinitely.
Is There Still A Ceasefire?
Trump says the ceasefire still exists. He said American officials will make sure the situation remains “very peaceful”.
On Sunday, Israeli attacks killed dozens. Soon after, the army said the ceasefire had resumed.
Hamas says it remains committed to the deal. It says peace is still the goal.
Gaza waits again. The city stands still. The silence sounds like warning.