Israeli strikes Monday killed three people west of Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital, as fighting continued through a ceasefire that has otherwise reduced but not stopped incidents in Gaza. The hospital said the casualties arrived after strikes carried out in the west of the city. The Israeli army said the strikes followed incoming fire against Israeli troops in Rafah and that it was responding to what it described as a violation of the ceasefire.
The army said it was striking targets “in a precise manner,” describing the action as operational response rather than broad escalation. The reported deaths underscored the fragility of the U.S.-backed ceasefire, which AP described as having followed stalled negotiations and as including a 20-point plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The ceasefire agreement, according to AP, began after negotiations that resulted in both Israel and Hamas accepting the plan aimed at ending the war that Hamas unleashed with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel. At the start of the deal, Hamas freed all living hostages it still held, and Israel released thousands of Palestinian prisoners, along with the remains of others.
Even as the truce has restored some exchanges, the larger issues the agreement was meant to address—especially future governance of the strip—have met reservations, and the United States has offered no firm timeline. That lack of a timetable has contributed to uncertainty over how Gaza would be governed after the initial ceasefire measures.
In parallel to the ceasefire disputes in Gaza, the United Nations raised alarms about moves in the West Bank. Stéphane Dujarric, speaking for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Guterres was “gravely concerned” about the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to deepen the country’s control over the occupied West Bank. Dujarric said the decision could erode the prospect of a two-state solution and said the steps—including Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory—were “unlawful,” citing the International Court of Justice.
The Israeli security cabinet approved measures on Sunday intended to deepen Israeli control in the West Bank and weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, said the measures would make it easier for Jewish settlers to force Palestinians to give up land and added that Israel would continue to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”
Separately, Palestinian officials and international monitors described progress and ongoing constraints around passage through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, a key requirement tied to ceasefire implementation. Ali Shaath, head of Gaza’s National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, told Egypt’s Al-Qahera News that operations at Rafah crossing were improving after a chaotic first week that brought confusion, delays, and a limited number of crossings.
Shaath said 88 Palestinians were scheduled to travel through Rafah on Monday, more than the number who had crossed during the initial days after reopening. Israel did not immediately confirm the figures. The European Union border mission at the crossing said in a statement Sunday that 284 Palestinians had crossed since reopening, and it said the list included people returning after having fled the war as well as medical evacuees and their escorts.
The European Union mission also reported that 53 medical evacuees departed during the first five days of operations, while noting the number remained below the agreed daily targets—50 medical evacuees exiting and 50 returnees entering daily—negotiated by Israeli, Egyptian, Palestinian and international officials. Shaath and other committee members remained in Egypt because they did not have Israeli authorization to enter Gaza.
In Gaza, the health ministry said Monday that five people were killed over the previous 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 581 since the October ceasefire. AP also said the truce led to the return of remaining hostages, including living captives and bodies, from the 251 abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, while Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and Israel’s offensive has since killed over 72,000 Palestinians, according to the ministry. AP reported that the U.N. and independent experts consider the ministry the most reliable source on war casualties.