Israeli military operations across the Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of 33 Palestinians and left more than 130 injured over a 96-hour period ending Saturday, according to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health. The surge in violence occurred during the Eid al-Adha holiday, further straining the already fragile ceasefire implemented in October.
Among those killed on Saturday was Dr. Jamal Abu Aoun, the head of anaesthesia at Al-Yafa Medical Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Medical sources at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Anadolu news agency that Dr. Abu Aoun died following an Israeli drone strike that targeted civilians near the medical facility. While Al Jazeera reported that the strike killed the doctor and injured three others, including a child, CNN Chile cited health ministry reports stating the strike targeted a police post and resulted in two injuries.
Since the October ceasefire, the Gaza Media Office reports that 930 Palestinians have been killed and 2,800 injured. The total death toll since the conflict began in October 2023 has now surpassed 72,000, according to Palestinian figures. Humanitarian conditions remain dire, with Israeli forces reportedly maintaining control over 60% of the enclave while more than two million residents face displacement and a lack of reconstruction efforts.
Escalating violence and tactical shifts
Beyond the strike in Deir al-Balah, Israeli artillery fire targeted areas east and south of Khan Younis, as well as the al-Bureij refugee camp. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, tensions spiked as Israeli settlers reportedly attacked homes in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that settlers threw stones and damaged vehicles, while state-run Voice of Palestine radio noted that Israeli forces fired light bombs into the sky over the town.
Recent testimonies provided to The Associated Press by Israeli reservists suggest a volatile environment for civilians. Soldiers described a policy of opening fire on anyone approaching the 'Yellow Line,' an informal boundary separating occupied areas from the rest of the Gaza Strip. One soldier told the agency, 'After the ceasefire, the order was: If someone crosses the line, you shoot them.' Another reservist added, 'There was a general feeling that human lives are not valuable.'
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the current landscape includes the displacement of the majority of the population and the destruction of significant urban infrastructure, with no clear timeline for the arrival of a committee of technocrats intended to oversee post-war governance.
