Six months into ‘ceasefire’, Gaza suffers under persistent Israeli attacks

Gaza’s devastation grows as more than 72,000 people killed and 172,000 injured amid Israeli violations of US-brokered truce.


_{A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across the Gaza City seafront, on March 25}

Six months after a ceasefire agreement was signed on October 10, 2025, the reality on the ground in the Gaza Strip remains fragile, oscillating between relative calm and recurring escalation, with no tangible improvement in humanitarian or security conditions for Palestinian civilians.

At its core, the agreement stipulated an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, including the cessation of all ground and air military operations, alongside a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from within the Strip – particularly from populated areas – in order to reduce direct contact with civilians.

It also included expanded humanitarian arrangements, most notably the regular opening of border crossings like the Rafah crossing; enabling greater freedom of movement for individuals; and the improved entry of aid, including hundreds of daily trucks carrying food, medicine and fuel, with guarantees that assistance would reach all areas of the Strip without obstruction.

In parallel, the agreement outlined a reconstruction framework under international supervision aimed at rehabilitating destroyed infrastructure and housing, as well as phased prisoner and detainee exchanges, and the establishment of an international monitoring mechanism to oversee this implementation.

However, six months later, field data and reports from international organisations show that these commitments have not been fulfilled as promised.

No full ceasefire has been achieved, no comprehensive withdrawal has taken place (rather the opposite), aid has remained below agreed-upon levels, and border crossings have continued to operate intermittently under shifting security and political conditions.

Amid this fluctuating agreement, people in Gaza remain trapped in instability, amid ongoing Israeli violations and daily volatility across all aspects of life. This has turned the ceasefire from a stable framework for ending the war into a partial, temporary truce used to manage rather than resolve the crisis.

_{Smoke and flames rise following an Israeli strike near a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, the central Gaza Strip, on March 25}


At least 700 killed during ‘ceasefire’

During the months that the agreement has been in place, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, raising questions about the fragility of the ceasefire and the role of mediators in enforcing its terms.

Gaza’s Government Media Office has documented more than 2,073 violations between October 2025 and March 2026, including Israeli air strikes, gunfire and incursions.

In the first weeks of the truce alone, about 497 violations were recorded, resulting in 342 Palestinian deaths, while by December, the toll had reached 379 killed and 992 injured, according to Ministry of Health data.

Humanitarian needs: High cost, low supply

The period following the October ceasefire has seen a relative improvement in the entry of food aid into Gaza, but this has been limited, fragile, and insufficient to meet accumulated humanitarian needs.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the agreement called for the entry of about 600 aid trucks per day; however, actual deliveries remained significantly below this threshold in the early weeks and have continually fluctuated since.

Despite some food deliveries, due to inconsistent truck flow and distribution challenges in recent months, quantities still remain below minimum requirements, leading to continued shortages and sharp price increases.

The UN has repeatedly called for unhindered aid access, warning that restrictions on crossings and distribution systems impede access for the most vulnerable people.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/10/neither-war-nor-peace-what-gaza-looks-like-six-months-into-ceasefire

OIC condemns Israel’s approval of 34 new West Bank settlements

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has condemned Israel’s approval of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions”.

The Israeli cabinet approved the settlements on April 1, according to Peace Now, an Israeli watchdog group, although Netanyahu’s government has made no formal announcement.

Israeli media reported the decision on Thursday after the military censor cleared it for publication.

The OIC warned the move aimed to “undermine the two-state solution” and called on the international community to act against Israeli violations against Palestinians.

Irish minister condemns Israeli strikes in Lebanon, calls for ceasefire extension

Ireland’s foreign minister says she is “appalled” by the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and has called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be extended to the country.

“I am appalled by Israel’s brutal attacks across Lebanon, with over 200 dead,” Helen McEntee posted on X, following a phone call with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.

“These attacks are unacceptable and must stop,” she wrote, adding that a ceasefire must be upheld by all parties, including in Lebanon.

Yesterday I spoke with Lebanon’s FM @YoussefRaggi I am appalled by Israel’s brutal attacks across Lebanon, with over 200 dead. These attacks are unacceptable and must stop.

A ceasefire must be upheld by all parties and extended to Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/uGxrHnS2be

— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) April 10, 2026

Israeli strikes in Lebanon taking ‘devastating and inhumane’ toll on children: UNICEF

The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF has warned that intensified Israeli air strikes across Lebanon are having a catastrophic impact on children, after bombardments on Tuesday reportedly killed 33 children and injured 153 within minutes.

UNICEF said the latest bloodshed adds to a “staggering” total of about 600 children killed or injured in Lebanon since March 2.

More than one million people have been uprooted nationwide, including an estimated 390,000 children, many displaced multiple times, it added.

The agency said it has received reports of children being pulled from under rubble, with others missing, separated from families and suffering severe trauma after losing loved ones and homes.

“International humanitarian law is clear: civilians, including children, must be protected at all times,” it added.

Israel strikes towns in southern Lebanon, western Bekaa

One Israeli airstrike hit the town of al-Tayri in southern Lebanon, another targeted the town of Sahmar in the western Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon, say our Al Jazeera Arabic reporters.

Israeli air strike targets ambulances and firetrucks in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports that several ambulances and firetrucks have been targeted in an Israeli air strike on the town of Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain in southern Lebanon.

We’ve been reporting that the Israeli military has been threatening to target ambulances in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of making “extensive military use” of them, without providing evidence to support the claims.

‘Horrific massacre’: Air attacks kill eight Lebanese security personnel in Nabatiyeh: Lebanese media

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports heavy air strikes hitting large parts of the southern city of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, including a state security office.

It said the raids destroyed multiple buildings and killed at least eight state security personnel, describing the incident as a “horrific massacre”. Ambulances are working to rush others who are wounded to hospitals, according to NNA. 

Six dead as Israeli air strike targets carwash centre in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports that an Israeli air strike targeting a carwash in the town of Jba’a, located in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region of the Nabatieh governorate, has killed six people.

According to the NNA, the victims include the owner of the carwash, his two sons and three other people who were at the scene when the strike hit.

Hezbollah targets Ashdod naval base as Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon

An Israeli air strike has injured a Lebanese couple as they were leaving the border village of Mari, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). The NNA reported that Red Cross teams evacuated the pair to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Over the past hour, Israeli air strikes have hit multiple locations across the south and the Bekaa Valley, including At-Tiri, Beit Yahoun, the city of Bint Jbeil, al-Ansar and Sohmori.

Separately, Hezbollah announced that its fighters targeted the Israeli naval base in the Port of Ashdod using “advanced” missiles.

Hezbollah chief pledges continued ‘resistance’, rejects ‘free concessions’

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has pledged that the group’s “resistance continues as long as there is breath”.

In a statement released by the Lebanese group on Friday, Qassem claimed: “The Israeli enemy was defeated on the ground and was unable to carry out a ground invasion.

“The enemy, in all its aggression, has not succeeded in preventing the missiles.”

He re-emphasised Hezbollah’s stance on the ongoing Israeli attacks, stating: “We will not accept a return to the previous situation,” and called on nations to “stop making free concessions” for Israel.

Israeli rights group slams far-right minister's comments about land grab

A prominent Israeli human rights organization has criticized calls by the country’s far-right finance minister who suggested Israel should expand its borders deeper into Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian territories.

B’Tselem said in a statement Friday that Bezalel Smotrich’s declaration “clarifies exactly the vision guiding Israel’s actions.” Similar to the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, Israel continues to declare its intentions for widespread destruction and the occupation of southern Lebanon.”

It said the international community “continues to grant Israel immunity that allows it to spread destruction and death across the Middle East.”

Speaking at a ceremony marking the inauguration of a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Smotrich said:

“There will be a diplomatic leg in Gaza that will expand our borders, with God’s help. There will be a concluding diplomatic leg in Lebanon that will expand our borders up to the Litani (river), to defensible borders. And there will be a concluding diplomatic leg in Syria, with the crown of Mount Hermon and at least a buffer zone.”

Smotrich also spoke about the country having a “concluding diplomatic leg in Judea and Samaria that completely kills the idea of a Palestinian state,” using the biblical name for the West Bank.

Smotrich is a member of Israel’s Security Cabinet, which sets policy on security matters and authorizes major military actions. The Israeli government has not officially approved any plans to expand the borders and such a move would likely spark a huge international backlash against the country.

Israel is set to hold elections this year, and opinion polls by multiple Israeli outlets indicate Smotrich’s party is at risk of getting voted out of parliament. Meanwhile, Hamas, which has once again tightened its grip over half of Gaza, said Smotrich’s comments “undermined the ceasefire agreement signed last October.”

‘I feel like I have to hide who I am’: Good Friday in Jerusalem

On Oborne Unscripted, Peter Oborne reports from Jerusalem on Good Friday, where Palestinian Christians say they are facing growing harassment and restrictions.

“I feel like I have to hide who I am, in order to maintain my safety,” says Christie Pavey, a Christian resident of Jerusalem.

One resident describes being spat on and prevented from accessing holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. “I’ve been spat on numerous times… and of course, forbidden from my holy sites.”

A report published this week documents a pattern of attacks - including vandalism, intimidation and assaults - contributing to what it describes as a climate in which Christians face a hostile environment.

“Christians feel increasingly unwelcome… pressured to conceal their identity.”

Religious traditions are also being disrupted. “Normally we would start as a group… today I’m doing it on my own.”

With many now considering leaving, residents warn that a historic community is at risk.



First they came for... Israel needs a reset or it will end up like North Korea. I doubt October elections will fix anything, the population has been radicalized so much it's not looking good for options.

Netanyahu expels Spain from Gaza ceasefire coordination hub

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has expelled Spain from a Civil Military Coordination Centre set up in the country as part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan that formed the basis for the ceasefire in Gaza.

This comes amid Spain’s withering criticism of Israel’s war on Iran, its policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and its deadly bombing campaign and invasion in Lebanon.

“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us. Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world,” Netanyahu said. “Therefore, I have instructed today to remove Spain’s representatives from the coordination center in Kiryat Gat, after Spain has chosen repeatedly to stand against Israel.

“I am not willing to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us.

Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.

1/4 pic.twitter.com/c95fTDNXkW

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 10, 2026

Before Hezbollah: The Leftist Resistance Israel Crushed in Lebanon

As Israel escalates its war on Lebanon, one narrative dominates: that Hezbollah is the cause of the conflict.

But that story erases decades of history.

Long before Hezbollah existed, southern Lebanon was already a frontline of anti-colonial struggle led by Palestinian fighters, Lebanese leftists, and marginalized communities resisting Israeli aggression and internal neglect.

In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek speaks with scholar Nate George about:

THE ORIGINS OF RESISTANCE IN SOUTH LEBANON

THE ROLE OF THE LEBANESE LEFT AND THE PLO

HOW ISRAEL, THE US, AND REGIONAL POWERS CRUSHED THAT MOVEMENT

THE SHIFT FROM SECULAR REVOLUTION TO ISLAMIST RESISTANCE

WHY HEZBOLLAH EMERGED — AND WHAT IT REPLACED

This conversation challenges the dominant narrative and reveals a deeper truth.