Israeli strikes kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza despite ceasefire

Israeli attacks swept across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 14 Palestinians, among them five children, medical sources told Al Jazeera, underscoring the fragility of an October ceasefire meant to still the violence.

In the southern al-Mawasi area, an Israeli strike tore through tents sheltering displaced families, killing at least four people. Further north, another attack hit Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, leaving four more dead. Bombardments were also reported in the Bureij and Nuseirat areas of central Gaza, as Israeli aircraft continued to pound the densely populated enclave.

In northern Gaza’s Jabalia area, Israeli fire claimed the life of 11-year-old Hamsa Housou. Her uncle, Khamis Housou, recalled waking to piercing screams in the family’s building. “I saw Hamsa lying on the floor, blood coming from her nose and mouth,” he said, his voice heavy with grief.

The latest bloodshed comes despite a United States-brokered ceasefire that took effect on 10 October. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 425 Palestinians have been killed and 1,206 wounded in Israeli attacks since 11 October.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) condemned Thursday’s strikes on displaced civilians, calling them a war crime and accusing Israel of seeking to render Gaza unlivable. In a statement, the group said Israel “does not respect any ceasefire agreements” and uses “false security pretexts” to advance what it described as policies of extermination and forced displacement.

Across Gaza, hundreds of thousands of families remain crammed into makeshift tent camps after their homes were reduced to rubble. As winter storms lash the territory, heavy rains have flooded encampments, leaving children and the elderly exposed to biting cold. Despite repeated warnings from the United Nations and humanitarian groups, Israel has continued to restrict the entry of shelter materials, including tents, tarpaulins and warm clothing.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said this week that Palestinians are battling respiratory infections, worsening wounds and skin diseases caused by harsh living conditions. Babies, the organisation warned, are “suffering from severe cold” as vital supplies remain blocked or delayed.

At the same time, Israel has tightened restrictions on international aid groups operating in Gaza. The authorities have revoked the licences of 37 humanitarian organisations under new regulations requiring detailed disclosures about staff, funding and operations—rules experts say violate humanitarian principles.

Reuters reported on Thursday that Israeli authorities denied entry to international staff from MSF, Médecins du Monde Suisse and the Danish Refugee Council this week. The groups warned they may be forced to suspend critical services, including healthcare, a move that could place countless Palestinian lives in further peril.

As bombs fall and aid dries up, Gaza’s civilians remain trapped between shattered ceasefire promises and a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.