At least eleven Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to reports from Palestinian rescuers and health officials. The strikes, which targeted areas in both the northern and southern parts of the territory, represent a significant escalation of violence despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States last year.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least six people were killed in a strike on a tent encampment in northern Gaza. Medics on the ground confirmed the deaths, stating the encampment housed displaced families. Separately, health officials in Khan Younis, in the south, reported five Palestinians were killed in another Israeli airstrike. Reuters reported the overall death toll reaching at least nine earlier in the day, later revised upwards by the Red Crescent.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated the strikes were in response to what they described as “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement by Hamas. An Israeli military official claimed that “terrorists emerged from a tunnel east of the yellow line,” referring to a demarcation line established under the ceasefire to separate Israeli and Hamas-controlled areas. The official asserted the strikes were “precise” and in compliance with international law.
According to the IDF, Hamas has committed more than six violations of the October ceasefire, including deploying forces east of the agreed-upon “Yellow Line.” The IDF stated it continues to destroy underground tunnels in the northern Gaza Strip, consistent with the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of breaching the ceasefire. The current agreement is a central component of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to resolve the Gaza conflict. On Saturday, the IDF reported identifying armed individuals near its personnel operating in the northern Gaza Strip.
Recent developments include Israel reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on February 3, 2026, though only a limited number of Palestinian patients have been able to access medical treatment in Egypt since the reopening. Israel is reportedly considering banning the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from operating in Gaza due to the organization’s refusal to provide a list of its staff, citing concerns for their safety. An Israeli military reservist was also recently charged with smuggling cigarettes into Gaza in exchange for $117,000.
The IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, visited Gaza on Sunday and told troops that the military would not abandon its objective of demilitarizing the Strip and disarming Hamas, according to reports from the Times of Israel.
