Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least four Palestinians, including a married couple and a 17-year-old, in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to local officials and medics.
Medics reported that an Israeli airstrike struck an apartment in Gaza City, killing Akram Yassin and his wife, Dina Abu Baker. The Israeli military stated that it had targeted a militant in the area, but provided no further details regarding the strike.
In southern Gaza, medics confirmed that a 17-year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire near the Qizan Al-Najar neighborhood in Khan Younis. Another individual was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Zeitoun suburb located east of Gaza City, bringing Tuesday’s verified death toll to at least four people. The Israeli military did not immediately issue a comment regarding either of the two gunfire incidents.
Following the strike on the residential apartment in Gaza City, local residents inspected the damage before gathering for the funeral of the married couple. Mahmoud Yassin, whose brother was killed in the blast, expressed deep skepticism regarding the security situation. “We’re supposed to be in a ceasefire period, but honestly, we are not seeing a ceasefire or anything. The war is still going on, assassinations are continuing, and the shelling has not stopped,” he said.
Israel contends that the Hamas militant group has been actively rearming and launching attacks in direct violation of the existing ceasefire, prompting the military to step up strikes against the group in recent weeks. Conversely, Hamas has denied attempting to carry out attacks or rebuild its military arsenal, while accusing Israel of undermining the broader Gaza peace agreement.
The fragile ceasefire, brokered by the United States a year ago, outlines a framework that calls for the eventual reconstruction of the war-torn territory. However, little tangible progress has been achieved toward implementing a comprehensive deal to permanently end the conflict. The stalled framework includes terms requiring Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its military forces from the region.
The latest casualties coincide with high-level diplomatic engagements. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, according to two sources with knowledge of the trip.
News of the defense secretary’s visit arrived just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Prime Minister Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election, scheduled for next week. It marks the country’s first national vote since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing war across Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
Current opinion polls indicate that Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, though opposition parties may likewise face significant difficulties in assembling a viable ruling coalition.
According to Gaza health officials, at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the implementation of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. On the Israeli side, military authorities report that four soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.
