Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip on Monday (April 20), Palestinian health officials said, even as clashes broke out between Hamas fighters and gunmen from a militia operating in Israeli-controlled areas, according to witnesses. The violence marks the latest escalation despite a ceasefire deal brokered last October after two years of war.
Medics reported one death in an airstrike in Bureij camp and another in Gaza City, while a later strike in western Khan Younis killed at least three people, according to officials at Nasser Hospital. Residents also reported armed confrontations east of Khan Younis after militia members entered a Hamas-run area, triggering exchanges of fire, reported Reuters.
The latest incidents come amid continued strain on the ceasefire, with more than 750 Palestinians reported killed since the truce took effect, according to local medics. Israel has said militants have killed four of its soldiers during the same period, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
The two years of Israel-Gaza conflict has had a broader humanitarian impact, with over 1.2 million people reported displaced and thousands killed, and over 200 journalists killed, underscoring what is being described as one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent years. Arrest warrants issued on November 21, 2024, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant list charges including starvation as a method of warfare, wilful killing of civilians, extermination, persecution and other inhumane acts. All 125 ICC member states, including France and the UK, are required to arrest them if they enter their territory.
The impact on civilians has been marked by severe shortages of basic necessities. Food, water and electricity were cut off, with less than five litres of water available per person per day in Gaza, below the WHO minimum of 15 litres.
By January 2024, around 71,000 child diarrhoea cases per month were reported, compared to 2,000 before October 7. Healthcare systems have come under sustained pressure, with over 660 attacks on healthcare facilities recorded by January 2024 and described as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
The conflict has also been described as the deadliest for journalists in recorded history, with more than 200 media personnel killed.
In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in Lebanon when an Israeli tank fired shells at a clearly identified group of journalists, with investigations by AFP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reuters terming it a deliberate attack. On October 25, 2024, three journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Hasbaya, Lebanon, while on April 8, 2026, Al Jazeera journalist Mohammad Weshah was killed in a drone strike in Gaza City.
Further allegations include the use ofwhite phosphorusin civilian areas and violence in detention. Euro-Med Monitor recorded 300 white phosphorus strikes in under 40 minutes in Beit Lahia in November 2023, while Human Rights Watch verified unlawful use in June 2024 and Amnesty International reported its use in Lebanon in October 2023, where at least nine civilians were injured.
Reports also cite abuse of detainees, including physical and psychological violence, sexual assault and forced humiliation, as documented in a UN inquiry in October 2024 and a UN Human Rights Commission report in March 2025.
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