GAZA CITY, Palestine: Israeli strikes and shootings killed six Palestinians, including a journalist, in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, Palestinian sources said, as ceasefire violations cast doubt on the US-brokered truce’s durability.
Arab media reported that journalist Mahmoud Wadi was killed in an air strike in Khan Younis. Local sources, cited by Al Jazeera, said a young man was shot dead in a refugee camp in central Gaza.
Gaza authorities also said two people were shot dead for allegedly crossing the “yellow line”. Two more Palestinian youths were reported killed in the occupied West Bank, local officials said.
Gaza’s Government Media Office on Tuesday said Israel had breached the ceasefire at least 591 times between October 10 and December 2, including air strikes, shelling and raids.
The office said civilians were shot at 164 times and homes and property were damaged on multiple occasions, Al Jazeera reported.
Since the ceasefire began, monitoring groups and Palestinian authorities say about 360 Palestinians have been killed. Israel’s bombardment campaign has killed at least 70,103 Palestinians and wounded about 170,965 in Gaza since October 2023, the territory’s health ministry said.
Health system on brink
Healthcare workers and UN agencies warn Gaza’s health system is near collapse. The UN has described the situation as “catastrophic”, saying less than half of hospitals and just over a third of clinics are operating at minimal capacity.
The World Health Organization estimates more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated from Gaza since the war began, and says around 16,500 patients still need treatment outside the Palestinian territory.
Medical groups report acute shortages of essential medical supplies. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) official Hani Isleem told AFP that “the need is really huge” and urged more countries to accept medical evacuations.
Isleem said the numbers taken in so far were “just a drop in the ocean”.
Monitoring groups have also reported heavy losses among healthcare staff. They say about 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023.
Aid access and the Rafah crossing
Meanwhile, Israel continued blockade of the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Israel’s COGAT body said it would open Rafah “in the coming days” to allow residents to exit to Egypt under EU supervision.
However, Egypt denied reaching such a deal with Israel and said any opening must operate in both directions, AFP reported.
UN sources in Cairo warned that aid flows remain far short of needs. While the US plan envisaged up to 600 lorries a day, UN figures quoted by officials put daily deliveries at just over 100 trucks.
The UN and aid agencies say food deliveries have improved in parts of Gaza, but access to medical supplies, tents and other essentials remains “insufficient”, according to the World Food Programme.
GCC affirms support for Gaza truce, two-state solution
Meanwhile, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Wednesday met in Bahrain for its 46th session and reiterated a call for a “just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East”.
In a media statement from the summit, cited by Al Jazeera, members affirmed their support for regional and international efforts for the “full adherence to the provisions of the agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip”.
“Facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and advancing efforts to establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative, and international legitimacy,” the statement read.
“In a manner that fulfils the aspirations of the Palestinian people and all peoples of the region to live in security and peace.”
Pakistan slams Israel
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, terming the genocidal war a humanitarian crisis, and reiterated Pakistan’s support for diplomacy and peaceful dispute resolution.
Dar was speaking at the Islamabad Conclave 2025, titled “Reimagining South Asia: Security, Economy, Climate, Connectivity.”
He said Pakistan is committed to working with all willing partners to help South Asia achieve its immense potential.
