GAZA CITY, Palestine: Israeli forces on Tuesday killed four Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, according to local health officials, in a surge of violence that raises concerns over the fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
In southern Gaza, an Israeli drone strike killed journalist Mahmoud Wadi in the city of Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital told local media. Wadi, who specialised in drone-based filming, is the latest journalist to die amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Palestinian journalist Muhammad Abdel Fattah Aslih was also injured in the same attack, Wafa news agency reported. Aslih is the brother of Hassan Aslih, a photographer killed in a drone strike on Nasser Hospital in May.
Separately, a man was shot dead near the eastern side of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital reported.
The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 350 Palestinians have been killed across the territory since a ceasefire on October 10, which had reduced Israeli bombardment.
West Bank killings
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians. One, identified by the Palestinian Health Ministry as an 18-year-old, was killed near Ateret, an illegal Israeli settlement north of Ramallah.
Another, a 17-year-old from Hebron, was fatally shot when troops attempted to arrest him, the army said. The Israeli army has intensified operations in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, has struggled to rebuild after repeated Israeli attacks, according to Ahmed Mokhallalati, former head of its burn unit.
Mokhallalati described the systematic targeting of critical hospital infrastructure, including oxygen stations, electricity systems, and surgical facilities. He said the hospital’s rehabilitation has focused on the women’s hospital, which now has a 350-bed capacity, 20 ICU beds, and 10 operating theatres.
Israel receives remains of Gaza hostage
Israeli police said on Tuesday that they had received the presumed remains of one of the last two deceased hostages in Gaza.
The remains are being transported to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine for identification, the police said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that Israel received the findings via the Red Cross but did not confirm the identities of the deceased.
Hamas has not confirmed the handover, citing logistical challenges caused by rubble from the conflict.
A Hamas official told AFP that search operations are ongoing in northern Gaza, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia.
Qatar pushes for next phase of talks
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, urged a swift progression to the next stage of negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
This stage would address unresolved issues, including fighters in tunnels behind the Yellow Line. Al-Ansari said the return of bodies should not delay the process.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for international efforts to consolidate the Gaza ceasefire and ensure the flow of humanitarian and medical aid.
Abdelatty also stressed the need for a stabilisation force in the Strip to preserve Palestine’s territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces and illegal settlers continued attacks on Palestinian property. In the West Bank, two apartments in al-Walaja village were demolished.
Illegal Israeli settlers set fire to a tractor in Burqa, attempted to ignite a vehicle, and sprayed graffiti on a house. In Khirbet al-Deir, settlers paved a dirt road to access a freshwater spring.
Israeli forces also demolished the home of prisoner Abdul Karim Sanoubar in Nablus. Soldiers forced residents to evacuate apartments, planted explosives, and destroyed the building.
In Gaza City, Israeli forces detonated explosives in residential buildings east of the city, near the Shujayea intersection.
