By Harun Nasrullah
London, (The Muslim News): In a series of incidents that have severely strained a US-sponsored ceasefire, Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians in Gaza City on Monday. This came amid a sharp escalation of violence and a stark admission from the Israeli Prime Minister.
A medical source confirmed the fatalities, which resulted from two separate attacks in the al-Shaaf area, east of Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said all four were killed “by Israeli gunfire as they returned to check on their homes.”
The incident underscores the fragility of the unofficial “yellow line,” which divides Israeli-controlled zones from areas where Palestinian movement is permitted. Witnesses said two brothers were shot by an Israeli sniper in a section west of the line — considered “safe” under the ceasefire — while eastern Ash-Shuaf remains under direct Israeli military control.
The Israeli army said it fired on several Palestinians, claiming they had crossed the “yellow line.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset: “During the ceasefire, two soldiers fell… We struck them with 153 tons of bombs and attacked dozens of targets across the Gaza Strip.” His statement amounts to a direct admission of a significant ceasefire violation.
The Gaza government media office has reported 80 Israeli violations since the agreement came into effect on October 10, resulting in 97 Palestinian deaths and 230 injuries.
WEST BANK DEMOLITIONS AND A LEGAL LANDMARK
The violence was not confined to Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army delivered six demolition notices for Palestinian homes, water wells, and agricultural facilities in the village of Asfi, south of Hebron.
Nidal Younis, head of the Masafer Yatta local council, told Anadolu Agency that the orders covered “six tents and homes made up of one or several rooms, five water wells, and a tin shack (used to store animal feed and shelter livestock.)” He added that residents now live in fear, expecting demolitions “at any time”.
Meanwhile, near occupied Jerusalem, Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian-owned farm. The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the act as part of an “accelerated colonial settlement policy”. Landowner Farouq Mustafa said forces demolished a 150-square-meter tin shack and a 100-square-meter agricultural canopy and levelled the fence around his eight-dunum plot.
This comes in the wake of a landmark opinion from the International Court of Justice last July, which declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements.
DETENTION DEATHS AND HEALTH CONCERN
The situation for Palestinian detainees also grew more grave. On Monday, 69-year-old Kamel al-Ajrami from Gaza became the 80th Palestinian to die in Israeli detention since October 2023, according to prisoner affairs groups. He had been detained on October 25, 2024.
Simultaneously, a Hamas-affiliated rights organisation warned of the deteriorating health of senior Hamas leader Mohammad Jamal al-Natsheh, accusing Israel of “deliberate medical neglect and torture”. The Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies fears Israel may be attempting to “assassinate” the 68-year-old, who is now suffering from memory loss and disorientation in Ramla Prison Hospital.
US ULTIMATUM AND HAMAS RESPONSE
Amid the escalating tensions, US President Donald Trump issued a stark threat to Hamas. Speaking at the White House, he warned the group must comply with the ceasefire deal, which includes disarmament. “We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice — and if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them, if we have to,” he told reporters.
In a separate development, Hamas stated it would hand over the remains of another Israeli captive on Monday night, a body it said was recovered from under the rubble on Sunday. The group has already released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of 13 others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
[Photo: Palestinians access clean water after a water purification plant powered by a solar energy system opened by a charity organization in Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 20, 2025. Clean water shortages continue as a result of the complete destruction of infrastructure during Israel’s two-year assault on Gaza. Photojournalist: Abdallah F.s. Alattar/AA]
