According to local Palestinian media, at least nine have been killed by Israel since the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect in a clear violation of the so-called “historic” Trump peace deal.
Israeli occupation forces appear to have killed at least nine Palestinians trying to return to their homes in northern Gaza City and southern Khan Younis.
The killings are the first major violation since the deal came into effect, raising fears that Israel has little to no intention of honouring its commitments regardless of whether Hamas fulfils its obligations.
Wafa News agency claims seven people were killed earlier in the day, while two others died from wounds sustained in previous Israeli airstrikes.
Palestinian officials told Wafa that the victims were inspecting their homes, while the Israeli army claimed they had crossed “the yellow line,” violating the security zone.
Elsewhere, Israeli officials claimed the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed, blocking the flow of desperately needed aid into the besieged enclave, despite the ceasefire.
Israeli sources quoted by Reuters said the decision comes after Hamas failed to hand over the bodies of Israeli captives as part of the US-brokered ceasefire. They did not specify how long the closure would last.
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Hamas has previously said recovering the bodies of some captives could take more time because not all the sites where they were held are known, and because of the vast Israeli destruction of the Strip.
The expectation among Palestinians was that the crossing would reopen on Wednesday because the ceasefire states aid should begin flowing into Gaza immediately.
UNRWA have said humanitarian supplies are still being blocked from entering Gaza by Israel.
UK assistance to ‘rebuilding’ Gaza
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after returning from Egypt, said the UK was prepared to support the reconstruction of Gaza, describing the devastation as something that “defies description.”
Starmer also said the UK would help transitional governance arrangements in Gaza and would provide support for Gaza’s security, including ceasefire monitoring and leveraging its experience with disarmament for the “decommissioning of Hamas weapons”.
Starmer on Tuesday also told members of parliament that the two-state solution in the Middle East now has its “first real chance” of being implemented since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer outlined the UK’s future role in supporting the peace process, saying the government will offer expertise in “three areas: supporting the reconstruction in Gaza, supporting transitional arrangements, and ensuring security for a ceasefire monitoring process.”
He emphasised the importance of the two-state solution despite the lack of confidence many Palestinians and Muslims have in the plan, which has seen Israeli settlers steadily occupy more Palestinian land across the occupied West Bank.
