Eleven Killed in Gaza Strikes as Ceasefire Tensions Persist

Eleven Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Sunday morning, according to local civil defence and health officials, underscoring the fragility of an already strained ceasefire.

The Israel Defense Forces said the strikes targeted militant positions in response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas. It stated that fighters were killed after emerging from a tunnel into an area of the strip under Israeli military control.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a strike on a tent encampment in northern Gaza killed at least six people, while another attack in the south left five dead.

Since the ceasefire came into force on 10 October, both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of near-daily breaches. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says at least 600 people have been killed during this period.

Earlier this month, local officials reported that at least 32 people died in a broader wave of Israeli air strikes across the territory.

The latest escalation comes as preparations continue for the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Last month, US President Donald Trump announced the creation of a new body, the Board of Peace, which has been granted a mandate from the United Nations Security Council to establish an international force. The mission is intended to secure border areas in Gaza and oversee the disarmament of Hamas.

The board, scheduled to hold its first meeting in Washington on 19 February, is also tasked with supervising the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government and coordinating post-war reconstruction efforts.

As part of the next phase of the ceasefire plan, Indonesia — a member of the Board of Peace — has announced plans to deploy 8,000 troops to Gaza.

The conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza that has since resulted in more than 71,820 deaths, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Washington last week for talks with Trump, with discussions focusing in part on efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear programme — which Tehran maintains is solely for civilian use.

Netanyahu was expected to urge the US administration to pursue an agreement aimed at halting Iran’s uranium enrichment and limiting its ballistic missile capabilities, as broader regional security concerns continue to shape diplomatic efforts alongside the ceasefire process.