Despite a ceasefire agreement officially in place since 10 October 2025, Israeli military forces have continued what numerous international legal bodies, humanitarian organizations, and state actors now characterize as a genocide in the Gaza Strip. This has resulted in the confirmed deaths of approximately 130 Palestinian civilians during the ceasefire alone, according to data compiled from Al Jazeera, Reuters, the Gaza Government Media Office, and Doctors Without Borders.
Since the ceasefire began, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations have reportedly included precision-guided airstrikes, artillery shelling, and drone fire on areas with high civilian concentrations. These include refugee camps, residential towers, UNRWA schools, and even aid convoys. In many cases, Israeli strikes occurred in locations previously designated by the IDF itself as “safe zones.” Aerial surveillance footage obtained by independent monitors shows extensive destruction to infrastructure in Jabalia, Rafah, and Khan Younis, where civilians had been directed to seek shelter.
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense and health authorities, the dead include women giving birth in maternity clinics, children playing near food lines, and journalists covering aid deliveries. The wounded — over 143 people during the ceasefire window — are often denied timely medical care due to Israel’s restrictions on fuel and movement, leading to what OCHA has described as “deaths by siege”.
International watchdogs have been unambiguous in their condemnation. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation in the Occupied Territories have all stated that Israel’s military actions during the ceasefire demonstrate “a pattern of indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force,” consistent with the legal definitions of genocide under the UN Genocide Convention (1948). This includes the targeting of life-sustaining resources and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about a group’s destruction.
Aid routes remain blocked at key entry points such as Rafah Crossing and Kerem Shalom, where convoys are routinely delayed, inspected, or outright turned away. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, more than 70% of Gaza’s hospitals are non-functional due to Israeli siege tactics, and access to clean water, food, and basic hygiene is rapidly collapsing. A senior MSF coordinator described the current environment as “pre-famine,” warning of a potential mass death event if access remains restricted.
With over 130 confirmed Palestinian deaths under a supposed ceasefire — and no independently verified breach of the agreement by Hamas — pressure is mounting globally for Israel to be held accountable. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is reviewing formal genocide complaints filed by South Africa, Nicaragua, and Turkey, and multiple EU states have called for suspension of military aid to Israel pending investigations. The asymmetry of force, the civilian targeting, and the pattern of violations call into serious question the legitimacy and integrity of Israel’s claimed adherence to ceasefire conditions.
In contrast, the only Israeli casualties reported during the same period are two IDF soldiers, whom the Israeli government alleges were killed in Rafah on or around 19 October 2025. Israeli military spokespeople claimed the incident involved small arms fire and an anti-tank missile allegedly launched by Hamas fighters. However, Hamas has denied any involvement, stating that the zone of the incident is under full Israeli military control, and that no operational units were present there at the time.
Moreover, alternative accounts from regional analysts and social media footage suggest the soldiers may have died due to a detonation of unexploded ordnance, possibly triggered accidentally by a bulldozer or IDF engineering vehicle. Despite public interest, no third-party investigation has confirmed the precise cause of death, and Israel has not released conclusive evidence linking Hamas or any other group to the deaths. As such, the only alleged ceasefire violation attributed to Hamas remains unverified and heavily disputed, while Israel’s breaches are both extensively documented and ongoing.
