By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): Two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, as shelling and gunfire continued despite a ceasefire, while hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza City to bury the remains of 75 Palestinians recovered from beneath the rubble of homes destroyed by Israel during the war.
Medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital confirmed that a child died from injuries sustained in Israeli gunfire in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, on October 18. The child’s name and age were not disclosed in the report by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
In central Gaza, medical sources identified the second child as Misk Hazem al-Dalu, who died from wounds sustained when Israeli forces opened fire towards tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Maghazi refugee camp. Her age was not reported.
The deaths came amid continued attacks across the enclave. Medical sources reported that five Palestinians had been killed and 11 injured by Israeli shelling and gunfire since dawn on Sunday, including two children, according to WAFA.
Israeli military vehicles also opened heavy fire towards tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, west of Rafah, in southern Gaza, while Israeli artillery shelled areas northeast of Khan Younis.
The attacks continued despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025.
At least 1,511 Palestinians have been killed and 5,375 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry said on Saturday that the overall death toll since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023 had reached 74,469, with 175,492 injured.
Remains of 75 Palestinians incl women and children, buried under rubble of destroyed homes, buried in a cemetery
As families in Gaza continued to endure fresh losses, hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Sunday to bury the remains of 75 people, including women and children, recovered in recent weeks from beneath the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza City.
The funeral procession began outside Daraj Sports Club before the remains were buried at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery. Wrapped in Palestinian flags, they had been laid out on Saturday evening to allow relatives to pay their final respects.
Abdullah al-Majdalawi, director of public relations and media for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told Anadolu Agency that the remains had been recovered from several destroyed homes in the Daraj neighbourhood of northeastern Gaza City.
He said the buildings had been bombed while residents were inside during the early months of the war. The victims belonged to around 20 Palestinian families, including people who had been displaced into the homes.
The recovery operation has been hampered by a lack of equipment and heavy machinery, leaving rescue teams struggling to reach people still buried beneath destroyed buildings.
The second phase of the Civil Defense project to retrieve bodies from beneath the rubble began on July 19. Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said the operation would cover 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and northern and central Gaza, where an estimated 1,072 bodies were believed to remain trapped.
During the first phase, launched in November 2025, teams recovered 333 bodies and sets of remains out of 559 people believed to be buried beneath 54 destroyed homes and buildings. A lack of resources prevented them from reaching around 226 others.
Basal told Anadolu on October 7 that more than 8,000 missing Palestinians were still believed to be beneath the rubble across Gaza. He warned that recovering them with the resources currently available could take around eight years.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Israel was expected to allow heavy equipment and machinery into Gaza. Palestinian authorities and factions have accused Israel of failing to fulfil that and other commitments.
The scale of destruction has left rescue teams facing a vast recovery operation. Around 90 per cent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, while thousands of families continue to search for relatives whose remains have yet to be recovered.
Israeli settler attacks injure Palestinians in occupied West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, two Palestinians were injured on Sunday night when Israeli settlers attacked the Ka’abneh Bedouin community near al-Taybeh, east of Ramallah, security sources told WAFA.
The settlers, acting under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, physically assaulted the two Palestinians, leaving them with injuries and bruises. They also attacked an ambulance belonging to Silwad Municipality as it travelled to the community to assist the injured.
In a related incident, Israeli forces and settlers raided Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, searching several homes and a sheep farm over allegations of stolen sheep.
Further south, settlers attacked a Palestinian home near Beita, south of Nablus, on Sunday evening, damaging property before Israeli forces detained its owner, Mutie Salim al-Aqtash.
Local sources said the settlers cut the electricity pole supplying the home, cut down surrounding olive trees, smashed a vehicle and dumped rubbish nearby. Palestinian security sources said al-Aqtash was detained following the attack.
The assault came hours after settlers cut electricity to another Palestinian home belonging to Muntasir Hamayel in Beita’s al-Arma area.
According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israeli occupation forces and settlers have carried out 62,916 attacks against Palestinians, their land and property across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 7, 2023. Of these, 48,174 were attributed to Israeli forces and 14,742 to settlers.
[Photo: Palestinians inspect damage after the Israeli army targeted a group of civilians on Al-Thawra Street in an attack that reportedly wounded several people, in violation of the ceasefire, in Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on October 18, 2026. Photojournalist: Ali Jadallah/AA]
