By Nadine Osman
London, (The Muslim News): Nine Palestinians were killed in Gaza over two days, with dozens more injured, in what medics described as Israel’s latest violations of the US-mediated ceasefire.
On Tuesday, four Palestinians, including a child, were killed when Israeli artillery shelled the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City. Two bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, where fifteen others were wounded. A third Palestinian was killed in the nearby Zeitoun district, while in central Khan Younis, photojournalist Mahmoud Wadi was killed in an Israeli strike. Medics reported that 17 more people, including women, were injured when artillery struck Al-Daraj School in central Gaza City, where displaced families were sheltering. The Gaza Civil
Defence said five additional people, including two women and two children, were wounded in renewed fire on Al-Tuffah. Its teams, working with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, evacuated dozens of civilians besieged since the previous night under intense tank and drone fire. Witnesses said Israeli forces also demolished buildings in areas still under military control in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
The following day, Wednesday, five more Palestinians, including two children, were killed in Israeli strikes targeting tents sheltering displaced civilians in a refugee camp in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, according to medical sources cited by Anadolu Agency. Several tents caught fire, compounding the devastation.
The strikes came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened to “respond accordingly” to the injury of soldiers in clashes with Palestinian fighters in Rafah. The Israeli army said early Wednesday that five of its soldiers were injured in an exchange of fire with Palestinian fighters who allegedly emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah. Channel 14 reported that clashes erupted after three Palestinian fighters fired anti-tank rockets at Israeli forces; two were killed in direct fire, while a third attached an explosive to an Israeli armoured vehicle before fleeing back into the tunnel. A military statement said one soldier was severely wounded, while three sustained moderate injuries.
Amid these attacks, Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad returned the remains of another Israeli hostage in northern Gaza under the ceasefire. The Israeli army confirmed that Red Cross teams received the coffin and were transferring the body to troops inside Gaza. Israel insists that two hostages’ bodies remain in Gaza. Palestinian factions called for international pressure to ensure Israel met its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10.
In the West Bank, two Palestinians were injured Wednesday during an Israeli raid in Misilyah village, Jenin, while two teenagers were killed in separate incidents in Hebron and Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a 14-year-old child and a 50-year-old man were severely beaten and hospitalised. Israeli forces imposed a curfew in Misilyah and expanded their offensive to neighbouring Qabatiya, while US-made Apache helicopters fired on Tubas and Qabatiya, causing widespread property damage.
Amid growing tensions, the Palestinian Embassy in the UK sought government protection after a pro-Israel masked group vandalised its London premises. The embassy said: “Your actions will not deter us. We will continue to advance Palestine-UK relations and defend the rights and lives of the Palestinian people.”
The killing of Mahmoud Wadi brought the total number of journalists killed since October 2023 to 257. His father, Issam, described the loss as “an earthquake that struck the tent,” adding, “I never expected to lose Mahmoud, who was not just my son but a friend… the Israelis respect no pledges or promises; their entire life is treachery and deceit.” His colleague Muhammad Abu Ubaid said: “He may not be known to everyone, but the poor and afflicted know him well, because he devoted his time to assisting them… We had an appointment today at Nasser Hospital, but I found out he had been martyred.”
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued lethal operations in Gaza, killing 357 Palestinians in the first 50 days and bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 70,112, with 170,986 injured. Humanitarian access remains limited, with only 200 aid trucks entering daily, far short of the 600 needed.
At the United Nations, the General Assembly adopted a resolution reaffirming the UN’s responsibility for the Palestine issue, calling for an end to the occupation, upholding a two-state solution, and demanding Israel halt settlement activity.
[Photo: Israeli forces violate the ceasefire by targeting the tents of displaced Palestinians, killing five people, including two children in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 3, 2025. A fire broke out in the tent following the attack, and emergency teams worked to extinguish the flames. Photojournalist: Mahmoud Bassam/AA]
