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At least 21 reported killed in Gaza as fragile ceasefire under strain

A photograph shows the war-ravaged Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City on Feb. 4, 2026. Despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase earlier in January, violence in the Palestinian territory has continued, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the agreement. (Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS)
By Cindy Riechau and Emad Drimly german press agency

TEL AVIV, Israel – At least 21 people were reported killed and more than 30 others injured by Israeli fire in Gaza on Wednesday after renewed fighting in the coastal territory, the Hamas-controlled health authority said.

It said the incidents occurred across the Gaza strip since the early morning, which underscores the fragility of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in a Telegram post, said it carried out several strikes in northern Gaza after “terrorists opened fire on IDF troops,” seriously wounding a reserve officer.

The IDF said shots were fired near the so-called “yellow line,” beyond which Israeli forces have withdrawn under the ceasefire agreement.

The Gaza health authority said seven of the 21 deaths occurred in Israeli shelling in the south of the territory.

The Hamas-controlled civil defence agency said a 12-year-old girl was among those killed. Asked about the incident, Israel’s military said it was investigating the reports.

Palestinian health officials also reported 14 fatalities in several neighbourhoods of Gaza City in the north. According to the civil defence authority, a baby was among those killed. It said tents housing displaced people and residential buildings were hit.

The claims by both sides could not be independently verified.

A ceasefire has been in place between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas since October 10.

Despite the agreement, there have been repeated deadly clashes, with both sides accusing the other of breaching its terms.

Palestinian women have reported harassment by Israeli security forces at the recently reopened Rafah border crossing after returning to the Gaza Strip, prompting Israeli denials.

One woman, 70-year-old Um Ahmed, told the German press agency that Israeli soldiers blindfolded people entering Gaza and issued threats during questioning. She and other returnees, including elderly and sick people, had to wait for hours, she said.

Another affected woman reported that soldiers took travelers’ belongings, including a child’s toy. The woman from Gaza City said she was afraid of being detained or turned back.

A third Palestinian woman said crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip felt like a punishment, not a regular procedure.

The Israeli military rejected the allegations.

The key crossing, the only one that does not run through Israeli territory, was reopened for the movement of people on Monday.

A total of 71 Palestinians left the Gaza Strip in the first two days after the opening, according to sources within the Hamas-controlled health authority.

This included 21 sick people who want to travel abroad for medical treatment, as well as 50 relatives accompanying them, they said. At the same time, 12 Palestinians returned to the territory on Monday and 40 people on Tuesday, they added.

The movement of people through the Rafah crossing is overseen and supported by the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah (EUBAM).