By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians, including two children, in separate attacks across the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, in what Palestinian officials and medical sources described as fresh violations of the ceasefire that came into effect in October last year.
In the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli forces shot and killed 11-year-old Hamsa Nidal Samir Houso on Thursday in the Jabalia refugee camp, according to medical and emergency sources. Witnesses said Israeli troops positioned east of the camp opened heavy fire towards the area. Gaza emergency services said the attack occurred outside the Israeli-controlled western part of the territory.
A day earlier, two Palestinians were killed and many others wounded when an Israeli airstrike hit a house belonging to the Alwan family in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, local media reported. The area lies outside Israeli control and was included in the ceasefire agreement. The Israeli army said its forces had come under fire in northern Gaza.
In southern Gaza, local media also reported the death of a child, Farah Muhammad Shaqfa, in Khan Younis, who succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli attack several days earlier.
Medical sources said injuries were reported in multiple areas across the besieged enclave, while an additional airstrike targeted the area surrounding Hamad Hospital, northwest of Gaza City, with no immediate casualties reported.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 425 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire began, in more than 1,000 reported violations of the agreement.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 71,395 Palestinians have been killed and more than 171,287 wounded, with thousands more believed to be buried under the rubble. Gaza’s civil defence services say they lack the heavy equipment needed to recover bodies.
Meanwhile, severe weather continues to batter shelters housing tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians across Gaza. The UN Agency For Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) warned that flooding and collapsing shelters are worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
“What should be a seasonal storm is becoming a life-threatening crisis,” UNRWA said.
A December report by the inter-agency Shelter Cluster said Storm Byron affected around 65,000 families, leaving more than one million people in need of emergency shelter assistance. The cluster warned that tents are not a viable long-term solution, citing substandard materials, overcrowding, poor anchoring and inadequate drainage.
The UN Humanitarian Affairs Office (OCHA) said recent storms have damaged temporary learning spaces and key roads used by aid agencies, while continued Israeli attacks and import restrictions are severely limiting efforts to restore essential services.
The latest developments come as Israeli military operations continue beyond Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have carried out demolitions, mass closures of towns and checkpoints, arrests, and forced displacement of Bedouin communities, amid growing international concern.
UN Human Rights body says Israel practices apartheid
On Wednesday, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Israel is violating international law through practices amounting to racial segregation and apartheid in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“There is a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said. “This is a particularly severe form of racial discrimination and segregation that resembles the kind of apartheid system we have seen before.”
Last July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
[Photo: Israeli forces detain a Palestinian as they demolish two Palestinian-owned houses during a raid in the Teavun al Alvi area of Nablus in the northern West Bank on January 8, 2026, following protests against the operation. Photojournalist: Nedal Eshtayah/AA]
