By Harun Nasrullah
London, (The Muslim News): A Palestinian was killed and five others wounded in an Israeli drone strike in southern Gaza on Monday, while a simultaneous attack in Lebanon claimed the lives of two brothers, marking a severe breach of standing ceasefire agreements. The violence underscores the fragile nature of truces that have failed to stem hostilities across the region.
The strike in Gaza targeted a civilian gathering in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis, with the Nasser Medical Complex confirming the casualty figures. This incident occurred despite a ceasefire agreement whose first phase, enacted last October, envisaged a path toward peace, including the release of hostages and prisoners, the rebuilding of Gaza, and a new governing mechanism.
The human cost of the conflict remains staggering. Palestinian health authorities report that Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 68,527 people and wounded 170,395 since it began in October 2023.
PARALLEL DEMOLITIONS AND VIOLENCE IN THE WEST BANK
Beyond Gaza, a parallel crisis of displacement unfolded across the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces demolished five Palestinian homes and an agricultural shed on Monday, with witnesses stating the actions were taken on the pretext of lacking building permits.
The demolitions, which occurred in the towns of al-Funduq, Marj Ghazal, and Furush Beit Dajan, among others, targeted structures in Area C — a zone comprising about 61% of the West Bank that remains under full Israeli control under the 1995 Oslo II Accord. Palestinian authorities contend that Israel systematically denies building permits in these areas, effectively stifling development.
The scale of this policy is vast. According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israel has carried out 1,014 demolitions across the West Bank since October 2023, impacting 3,679 structures.
This environment is further inflamed by violence from illegal Israeli settlers. In a separate incident Monday evening, settlers attacked a Palestinian home near as-Samu, south of Hebron, firing tear gas canisters and injuring five members of the same family.
A report in the Israeli daily Haaretz on Monday revealed a troubling trend: while complaints of settler attacks have risen, police investigations have significantly fallen. The commission states that over the past two years, settlers have carried out 7,154 assaults, resulting in 33 Palestinian deaths.
REGIONAL ESCALATION: AIRSTRIKE IN LEBANON AND UN CONFRONTATION
The theatre of conflict extended beyond Palestine, with the Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killing the two brothers in a strike on a carpentry workshop. The Israeli army confirmed the attack, claiming it had targeted and killed Hezbollah members.
This strike, a further violation of a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024, was accompanied by a diplomatic spat between Israel and the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The Israeli army accused UNIFIL of shooting down one of its reconnaissance drones, a claim that followed a UNIFIL statement that its patrol had come under Israeli fire, prompting peacekeepers to take “defensive measures.”
The broader context of the occupation was underscored last July when the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion declaring Israel’s presence in Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements. As the latest deaths demonstrate, the path to implementing such rulings and achieving a lasting peace remains fraught with peril.
[Photo: Israeli forces raid and demolish two Palestinian homes in Area C, claiming they were “built without permits” under the Oslo Accords, in Qalqilya, West Bank on October 27, 2025.Photojournalist: Nedal Eshtayah/AA]
