Israeli military operations across the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed at least 11 Palestinians and wounded dozens, according to the territory’s health authorities operated by Hamas. Among the dead were four members of the al-Safadi family – a husband, wife and their two daughters – killed in an airstrike on their apartment in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, and Ahmed Wishah, a cameraman for the Qatari-based Al Jazeera network, who died in a strike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp. Palestinian civil defence and medical personnel said the attacks, which also struck Beit Lahia and Khan Younis, were the latest in a series of lethal incidents since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered into force in October 2025.

The Israeli military confirmed striking Wishah, stating he was “a terrorist in Hamas’ military wing who served as a sniper operative” planning attacks on troops. It did not immediately provide evidence for the assertion. Regarding the al-Safadi family, the military said it was looking into reports, and in other incidents it spoke of targeting militants without elaboration. Al Jazeera condemned the killing of its journalist as a “heinous crime” and a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms”, noting that 12 of its staff have been killed in Gaza since the war began. Relatives of the slain family denied any connection to armed groups. “They have no connection to Hamas, nor are they involved in anything. They’re just innocent children,” said Nael al-Safadi, a cousin.

The strikes underscore the extremely fragile nature of the truce. According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, whose casualty figures the United Nations considers reliable, Israeli fire has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians since the ceasefire began eight months ago, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the enclave over the same period. Mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and US envoy Nickolay Mladenov to advance the second phase of a US-proposed plan remain deadlocked. Hamas has linked full disarmament to the launch of a political process aimed at a Palestinian state, while Israel demands the group cede power and dismantle its military infrastructure unconditionally.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have expanded their control over the territory, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering the military to increase the area under its hold to 70 per cent. The United Nations and aid agencies report that despite an increase in humanitarian supplies, some 70 per cent of the population lacks adequate shelter, and the share of households going to bed hungry has dropped more slowly than hoped. The stalemate over Gaza’s governance and security arrangements leaves the enclave in a state of neither war nor peace, with no clear path towards a durable settlement.