Israel-Gaza Ceasefire a Travesty: Gaza Ceases, Israel Fires as Death Toll Nears 600

Israeli military strikes killed three people west of Gaza City on Monday, according to Shifa Hospital , testing a fragile four-month-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli army justified the strikes quoting an incident in Rafah , where its troops came under fire, calling it a violation of the truce and saying it targeted locations “in a precise manner.”

The ceasefire was reached under a U.S.-backed 20-point plan proposed by President Donald Trump after months of stalled negotiations following the October 7, Hamas attack on Israel . Hamas freed all remaining living hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners, but major issues including the future governance of Gaza remain unresolved with no clear timeline.

At the same time, Israel’s security cabinet approved measures to deepen control over the occupied West Bank, drawing sharp criticism from the United Nations . Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the decision could undermine the two-state solution and reiterated that Israel’s presence in occupied territory is considered unlawful under international law.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the move, saying it would help settlers force Palestinians off their land and vowing to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”

Gaza health officials said five people were killed in the past 24 hours , bringing the death toll since the ceasefire to 581 , while more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.