By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): The Israeli army killed three Palestinians on Sunday, carrying out a series of air and naval strikes across Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement in place.
One Palestinian was killed when an Israeli drone fired on an area from which the army had withdrawn under the ceasefire northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza, a medical source told Anadolu Agency. Another medical source said a fisherman was also killed. Local reports said Israeli naval forces opened fire off the coasts of Khan Younis and Rafah earlier on Sunday.
On the northwestern outskirts of Rafah, a medical source said another Palestinian was shot in the head by Israeli forces, describing his condition as “critical.” Local sources noted that the area where he was injured is among those from which the Israeli army withdrew under the ceasefire.
A 15-year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Joura Al-Lout area, south of Khan Younis, also from which the army had withdrawn, a medical source told Anadolu. Another Palestinian sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh after Israeli naval forces fired off the coast of Deir al-Balah, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.
Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes north and west of Rafah, while the army demolished residential buildings in eastern Khan Younis and shelled areas under its control. Military vehicles also opened fire towards the eastern areas of Bureij refugee camp.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on 10 October, the Health Ministry reports 421 Palestinians have been killed and 1,184 wounded, with 684 bodies recovered from rubble. The ceasefire ended a two-year war that killed nearly 71,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, injured more than 171,200, and left Gaza in ruins. Despite the agreement, Israeli attacks continue.
Violence in the Negev and West Bank
Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian from the Bedouin village of Al-Tarabin in the Negev early Sunday, local media reported. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, a special police unit and soldiers from the “National Guard” raided the village to arrest Mohammed Hussein Tarabin for alleged vandalism in nearby Israeli settlements.
The newspaper quoted Tarabin’s family as saying the police shot their son “without cause.” They added: “He is an ordinary man with seven children. There was no need to kill him. For them (the police), this is a great achievement to please Ben-Gvir, who dances on Arab blood. The situation is dangerous, the behaviour of the police is unacceptable, and they must leave the area or they will bear responsibility for anything that happens.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir defended the operation on X, describing Tarabin as a “dangerous criminal.” The Negev Bedouin Leadership condemned the killing, calling for Ben-Gvir’s dismissal and an investigation. Tens of thousands of Bedouins live in unrecognised villages in the Negev, denied access to basic services including water, electricity, schools, and medical care.
In the West Bank, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that a teenager and a young man were injured by Israeli gunfire near Azzun, east of Qalqilya. An 18-year-old sustained a gunshot wound to the foot, while a 14-year-old girl was struck by two bullets in the hand. Both were transferred to hospital.
UNRWA said more than 12,000 Palestinian children remain forcibly displaced in the West Bank due to ongoing Israeli military operations in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem refugee camps, which have displaced some 50,000 Palestinians since 21 January 2025. “More than 12,000 children remain forcibly displaced in the occupied West Bank,” the agency said, adding that emergency education programmes have been launched, providing temporary learning spaces, online teaching, self-learning materials, and psycho-social support.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal Jewish settlers have killed at least 1,105 Palestinians in the West Bank, injured nearly 11,000, and detained around 21,000, according to Palestinian figures. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Targeting of Journalists
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reported 99 violations against media in December 2025, including killings, assaults, arrests, and bans on coverage. Israeli forces “continued in December 2025 a policy of systematic targeting of Palestinian journalism through a wide wave of serious violations,” the report said, reflecting “a high level of repression and restrictions” on journalistic work.
The report noted that one journalist was killed while performing field duties, two were seriously injured by shelling or direct targeting, and two relatives of journalists were killed in Gaza. In the West Bank, 48 cases of detention or prevention from reporting, 15 assaults involving tear gas or stun grenades, two attempted car rammings, nine incidents of threats with weapons, and six cases of verbal threats were documented. Other incidents included destruction of equipment and homes, arrests, summonses, and organised incitement through Israeli media falsely linking journalists to armed groups.
The syndicate said one attack by illegal Jewish settlers on a journalist under army protection “confirms the continued integration of roles between the occupation army and settlers in attacking journalists, within an environment of total impunity.”
Tensions in Ramallah and Birzeit
Israeli forces encircled Ramallah and Birzeit on Sunday evening following a suspected car-ramming attack that lightly injured a settler. Roadblocks were set up and searches conducted. The army said: “The circumstances of the incident are under review.”
Tensions remain high across the West Bank, with ongoing military operations and settler violence.
Escalation in Lebanon
Two people were killed on Sunday in southern Lebanon after an Israeli drone struck a car between Khirbet Selm and Al-Jumayjimah in Bint Jbeil. Israel claimed the target was a Hezbollah operative. There was no comment from Hezbollah. Israel and Lebanon reached a ceasefire in November 2024, but Israeli forces have only partially withdrawn, maintaining positions at five border outposts.
[Photo: Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot speaking at the Palestinian Embassy today to mark the unveiling of the plaque formally opening the embassy of the State of Palestine in London. Photographer: Ahmed J Versi/The Muslim News]
[Main Photo: Body of a Palestinian fisherman is brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli army attack targeted a small fishing boat off the coast on January 4, 2026. The attack resulted in the death of 32-year-old Abdulrahman Abdulhadi al-Kan. Photojournalist: Abed Rahim Khatib/AA]
