Gaza ceasefire hopes hang by a thread as Israeli strikes leave eight dead

Fresh Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have cast another shadow over fragile ceasefire efforts, with at least eight Palestinians killed in a new wave of attacks, according to Gaza’s civil defence authorities.

Among those killed on Sunday were a man and a woman who died after an Israeli helicopter strike hit an apartment south of Deir el-Balah. Elsewhere in the territory, separate strikes claimed more lives, including three people in Khan Younis and another in Gaza City’s historic Old City, the Al Jazeera reported.

The attacks came just days after US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace unveiled a 15-point roadmap aimed at putting last year’s Gaza ceasefire agreement into action — a diplomatic push now facing renewed challenges as violence continues on the ground.

The proposed plan has yet to translate into a halt in hostilities. Hamas has said it would agree to store its weapons only after Israel stops military operations and withdraws its forces in line with the previous ceasefire framework. Israel, however, has insisted that any withdrawal would depend on what it described as "genuine disarmament" by Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly responded to the initiative, while far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has rejected the proposal and called for continued operations against Hamas leaders.

Meanwhile, former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, who is based in the United Arab Emirates, said US adviser Jared Kushner had been working with Israel to push for an end to the attacks. Dahlan said discussions with Washington were continuing, but warned that the future of the agreement depended on Israel stopping its daily strikes.

The humanitarian toll deepened further after an Israeli strike destroyed a medical supply warehouse in central Gaza on Saturday, leaving behind a massive crater and adding to the destruction across the besieged territory.

As diplomatic efforts struggle to gain momentum, Gaza remains trapped between hopes of a lasting ceasefire and the grim reality of continued bombardment, with civilians bearing the weight of an unresolved conflict.