By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): An 11-year-old Palestinian girl was shot dead by Israeli forces in northern Gaza on Thursday, in what medical sources described as yet another violation of the ceasefire agreement that was meant to halt Israel’s devastating war on the enclave.
Doctors told Anadolu Agency that the child was killed when Israeli troops opened fire towards the town of Jabalia al-Nazla. Elsewhere in Gaza, four Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire near the Nemsawi Cemetery in the southern city of Khan Younis. Among the injured were a child and a woman, both of whom were rushed to the Nasser Medical Complex for treatment.
The killing comes amid mounting Palestinian accusations that Israel has repeatedly breached the ceasefire that came into force on October 10, following more than two years of war.
Since October 2023, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 71,271 Palestinians and wounded 171,233 others, the overwhelming majority women and children. According to Gaza’s government media office, at least 416 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,110 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire supposedly took effect.
As gunfire and air strikes continue, Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe has deepened further. Local media reported on Thursday that a displaced Palestinian child had died from complications caused by extreme cold, as harsh winter conditions batter the Strip. A major storm and plunging temperatures have compounded the suffering of hundreds of thousands of families living in makeshift shelters, with little access to heating, food or medical care.
At the same time, Israel has moved to further restrict humanitarian assistance. A decision to revoke the licences of 37 international non-governmental organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), has now come into force. The move is part of a broader campaign by the Israeli government to demonise aid groups and United Nations agencies assisting Palestinians, using unproven allegations of links to Hamas.
Nineteen Israeli human rights organisations condemned the decision on Thursday, warning that it would have dire consequences for civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. In a joint statement, groups including Adalah and B’Tselem said that humanitarian access had already been “severely constrained” since October 2023, with essential aid such as food, medicine, shelter and hygiene supplies routinely delayed or denied. Preventing aid organisations from operating, they said, “undermines principled humanitarian action, endangers staff and communities, and compromises effective aid delivery”.
They urged the Israeli government to immediately halt deregistration proceedings, lift barriers to humanitarian and human rights work, and allow international organisations to operate safely and effectively.
Meanwhile, Palestinian detainees continue to die in Israeli custody. Another prisoner, Hassan Issa al-Qasha’leh, from the Negev city of Rahat, died on Thursday inside Beersheba Prison,
according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Al-Qasha’leh had been held for more than 13 months and was due to be released in six months’ time. The Israeli Prison Service confirmed the death of a detainee held under administrative detention but did not initially name him.
Palestinian human rights organisations have long warned that thousands of prisoners are being held in brutal conditions, facing torture, starvation and physical and sexual abuse. Palestinian authorities estimate that more than 9,300 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel, including over 50 women and around 350 children, in addition to those held in military camps.
Repression has also intensified across the occupied West Bank. On Thursday, Israeli forces carried out military raids across multiple cities, arresting at least 50 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society. The raids targeted Ramallah, al-Bireh, Hebron, Tubas, Tulkarem, Nablus, Jenin and East Jerusalem, and included former prisoners and a woman among those detained. The group said the arrests were accompanied by violent home raids, abuse of detainees and their families, and widespread destruction of property.
Separately, Israeli forces demolished two Palestinian homes east of Jericho and issued a demolition notice for a third, citing lack of permits. The buildings were located in areas designated as “Area C”, where Israel retains full control and rarely grants Palestinians permission to build.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal Jewish settlers have killed at least 1,105 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000 others, and detained around 21,000, according to Palestinian figures. Last July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Yet, on the ground, the violence shows little sign of abating. The killing of an 11-year-old girl in Jabalia stands as a stark reminder that, for Palestinians, the ceasefire exists largely on paper, while daily life remains defined by gunfire, displacement and loss.
[Photo: Relatives and loved ones of Palestinian Ahmed Naim, who was killed in Israel’s raid, mourn attending his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza on January 2, 2026. The Israeli army, continuing its ceasefire violations, opened fire on civilians in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis. Photojournalist: Hani Alshaer/AA]
