By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Three Palestinians were killed and five others injured on Thursday by Israeli army gunfire and airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, medical sources reported, despite a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025. Two of those killed were shot east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where military vehicles reportedly opened fire in residential areas.
A medical source said one man was shot near the Sheikh Nasser area, close to what is known as the “Yellow Line,” which separates Israeli deployment zones from areas where Palestinians are permitted to move. Witnesses said the shooting coincided with heavy fire from Israeli military vehicles. A second Palestinian was killed outside the deployment zone in Khan Younis, according to another medical source at Nasser Hospital.
Separately, medical sources said that the body of Hussam Abu Karim and five wounded Palestinians arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah after being targeted by a missile from an Israeli drone near the Makki roundabout in the Maghazi camp.
In Rafah, Israeli forces continued demolishing residential buildings north of the city, with eyewitnesses reporting explosions and plumes of smoke.
Since the ceasefire, Israeli attacks have killed 492 Palestinians and injured 1,356. The accord ended a two-year war that claimed more than 71,600 lives and wounded 171,300, while destroying roughly 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. UN estimates place reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion.
Israel has meanwhile handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians to the International Committee of the Red Cross in exchange for the remains of its final captive, recovered earlier this week. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza, said Palestinian authorities were still determining whether the bodies would be released at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis or al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Illegal Jewish settlers continue attacks on Palestinians and their properties in West Bank
Meanwhile, violence continues in the occupied West Bank. Illegal Israeli settlers damaged Palestinian farmland in Hebron governorate on Thursday, pouring chemicals on wheat and barley fields in the Yatta area, destroying crops on more than eight dunams (1.97 acres) belonging to Ali Mohammed Shenaran, according to WAFA News Agency. Armed settlers also reportedly attacked homes in Ras al-Ayn, Nablus, firing live ammunition, though no injuries were immediately reported.
A Palestinian youth, Qusai Maher Halaika, 28, from al-Shuyukh town in Hebron, was shot dead by Israeli forces near Bethlehem on Wednesday. The Health Ministry said his body was withheld, while Israeli police claimed he was “neutralised” for allegedly attempting a stabbing attack at a military checkpoint south of East Jerusalem. Local sources reported he was left bleeding on the ground, and no Israeli soldiers were injured.
Since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in October 2023, Palestinian figures indicate that Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and injured nearly 11,000, while carrying out more than 21,000 arrests.
The Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that at least 130 Palestinians were detained on Wednesday alone, including two women, a child, and former prisoners. Many were questioned on the spot and released, while others remain in custody. “These violations extend a longstanding pattern aimed at suppressing Palestinian presence through coercive measures,” the society said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Wednesday that illegal settler attacks and demolitions are forcing hundreds of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank, with 818 residents displaced this month. In Ras Ein al’Auja near Jericho, the community was entirely emptied after repeated attacks and threats by settlers. OCHA also reported that Israeli forces had demolished dozens of structures in East Jerusalem’s Kafr Aqab area, marking the highest levels of demolitions in nearly two decades. Settlers have damaged grazing land, blocked access to water, and stolen livestock, further undermining livelihoods. More than 500,000 settlers live in the West Bank, with another 250,000 in East Jerusalem, according to Peace Now.
The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark ruling in July 2024, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Despite this, Israeli raids, demolitions, and settler attacks have intensified since the Gaza war.
Medical sources said that in the past 24 hours, five Palestinians were killed and six injured as a result of Israeli fire and shelling in Gaza. Some victims remain trapped under rubble, with rescue crews unable to reach them. Since the ceasefire, 492 deaths and 1,356 injuries have been recorded, while 715 bodies have been recovered. The overall death toll from Israel’s ongoing aggression in Gaza has risen to 71,667, with 171,434 people injured since October 2023.
[Photo: A view of the destruction after the Israeli army attacked tents housing displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi area, injuring six people, in Khan Yunis, Gaza on January 30, 2026. The attack caused severe damage to the tents. Photojournalist: Hani Alshaer/AA]
