By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Two Palestinians were killed and at least 16 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Palestinian medical sources, despite a ceasefire that has remained in effect since 10 October 2025.
A 28-year-old man, Osama Naim Shamlakh, was killed and nine civilians were wounded when an Israeli drone struck a motorcycle in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City.
In a separate incident in northwestern Gaza City, an Israeli strike targeted a security post near the Al-Tawam roundabout, injuring four police officers, some of them critically. Medical officials later confirmed that 36-year-old Thaer Ramzi Fayyad died from wounds sustained in the attack.
Elsewhere, one person was injured after an Israeli strike hit an apartment in a residential building in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
Israeli forces also opened heavy fire towards residential areas east of the Bureij refugee camp and towards Halawa camp, which shelters thousands of displaced Palestinians east of Jabalia in northern Gaza. No casualties were reported in those incidents.
The Israeli military said it had killed Mustafa Al-Awaisi in southern Gaza on Sunday, alleging he had attempted to smuggle military equipment into the enclave.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 1,108 Palestinians have been killed and 3,578 injured since the ceasefire came into force in October 2025. The ministry also says that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 173,000 injured since Israel launched its military offensive following the October 2023 attacks, with around 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure damaged or destroyed.
Flare up in Yemen
The developments came as diplomatic tensions over regional security intensified at the United Nations, where Iran rejected US accusations that it had used a recent flight to Yemen to transfer military personnel and equipment to the Houthi movement.
In a statement issued after a UN Security Council meeting on Yemen, Iran’s mission to the United Nations described the allegations as “entirely baseless” and defended its relationship with Yemen’s Houthi authorities, also known as Ansarallah.
“Ansarallah represents a significant segment of the Yemeni people, and Iran recognizes the Sana’a authorities as their legitimate representatives,” the mission said.
It added that Iran’s engagement with the Sana’a authorities was “consistent with relevant Security Council resolutions and aimed at supporting a Yemeni-led process towards a unified Yemen while preserving the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity.”
“The UN has repeatedly benefited from this engagement in advancing the Yemeni peace process,” the statement continued.
Rejecting the US claims, the mission said: “The U.S. allegation at today’s Security Council meeting that Iran exploited the travel of the Yemeni delegation attending the funeral of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Ali Khamenei) to transfer military equipment is entirely baseless,” calling it a “fabricated accusation” intended to mislead the Security Council.
The response followed remarks by US Deputy Representative to the UN Tammy Bruce, who told the council that an Iranian aircraft arriving in Houthi-controlled Sana’a on 3 July had transported members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including drone and missile specialists.
“The purpose of this flight was to ferry IRGC personnel, including drone and missile experts, in support of Houthi terrorism—under the guise of transporting Houthi officials to the late-Supreme Leader’s funeral,” Bruce said.
US issues more military threats against Iran
She argued that such support enabled the Houthis “to terrorize the Yemeni people and threaten freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.”
The diplomatic exchange came as US President Donald Trump announced a series of new measures and military threats directed at Iran.
Speaking during a radio interview with political commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump said the United States would carry out further strikes against Iran over the coming days.
“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it,” Trump said.
“They have nothing. They have nothing going other than they have big mouths,” he added.
Trump also suggested that an underground Iranian facility known as Pickaxe Mountain could become a future target.
“Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right near the front door,” he said, adding that the US was “watching it closely” but currently saw “no activity” there.
“They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” he added.
In a separate announcement on Monday, Trump said Washington was reinstating what he called an “Iranian blockade” while proposing a 20% fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz in return for US protection of the strategically important shipping lane.
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”
Trump said the United States would guarantee security in the waterway and seek reimbursement from shipping operators.
“The USA will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.”
He added that the policy would take effect immediately.
Shortly after the announcement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media platform X that US forces would resume blockading maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports from 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, marking a further escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
[Photo: Palestinians mourn as bodies of four Palestinians, including a woman, killed by Israeli strikes on a police post west of Jabalia refugee camp, are brought to Al-Shifa Hospital. the attacks took place despite the ceasefire in Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on July 14, 2026. Photojournalist: Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/AA]
