GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least two Palestinians, including a child, were killed on Monday as Israeli air raids and drone strikes hit parts of the Gaza Strip despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire, health officials said.
An Israeli drone strike east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza hit a vehicle and killed two people, one of them a child, Al Jazeera reported.
Medical sources in Gaza, cited by Al Jazeera, confirmed the deaths and said rescuers recovered the victims’ bodies. The Gaza health ministry has been the principal source for casualty figures during the ceasefire period.
The Gaza health ministry said it had received 15 bodies of Palestinian prisoners on Monday that were returned under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange. The ministry said this brought the total number of bodies returned under the deal to 315.
The transfers were carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross and brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, health officials and local news agencies said.
A senior UNRWA official said the agency faces severe restrictions in getting supplies into Gaza.
John Whyte, UNRWA’s senior deputy director for Gaza operations, told The Journal that around 5,000 UNRWA trucks remain blocked from entering Gaza and that Israel is requiring UNRWA to hand over supplies to other agencies and remove UN markings before entry. UNRWA said this is hindering the delivery of vital aid.
Israeli settlers attacks in West Bank
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reported attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian shepherds near Aqraba, south of Nablus.
Wafa also said Israeli forces obstructed Palestinian teachers travelling through the Hamra and Tayasir checkpoints in the Jordan Valley, delaying dozens of staff for hours, quoting Azmi Balawneh, director of education in the Tubas governorate.
The agency said such incidents are part of a larger pattern of settler violence and movement restrictions.
Israeli army drills across the West Bank
The Israeli army announced a large-scale, multi-day exercise across the occupied West Bank to test “operational readiness”, involving ground units, air assets and drones.
The drills have raised concerns among Palestinians about a heightened military presence and potential escalation. Israeli officials said the exercises are routine preparedness measures.
International agencies have warned that humanitarian aid entering Gaza falls far short of truce pledges.
The UN and other agencies said only about 200 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza daily in recent weeks, well below the 600 trucks per day promised under the ceasefire arrangements.
Aid shortfalls and restricted access continue to aggravate shortages of food, water and medicines in many areas.
The current US-brokered ceasefire has seen phased exchanges of living captives and the return of bodies.
Israeli officials confirmed the return of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin’s remains on Sunday.
