Israeli fire kills five in Gaza Strip despite truce
Israeli airstrikes killed five people and injured 18 in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, local health authorities said, after Hamas and Israel accused each other of violating an increasingly fragile ceasefire for almost six weeks.
Three people, including a girl, were killed and 15 injured in an attack on a house in the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, while another killed a man and injured three others in the nearby town of Abassan, medics said.
The Israeli army confirmed the attacks but said it was not aware of casualties.
Later Thursday, Nasser Hospital officials said a fifth Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in the town of Abassan.
On Wednesday, Israel said it had struck targets in the area after members of the Palestinian militant group opened fire on its soldiers, and Gaza medics said at least 25 people were killed, the highest number since October 29, when at least 100 people were killed.
⭕️ Rocket launcher with 4 rockets and 8 tubes targeting Israeli territory in the Yellow Line region where IDF troops are located. Kalashnikov rifles, fragmentation grenades, explosives, magazines and military uniforms were also destroyed during a separate operational activity. pic.twitter.com/Ffhmsf2aL6— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 20, 2025
Hamas called the attacks a dangerous escalation and called on Arab mediators who brokered the ceasefire, Türkiye and the United States, to intervene.
In a statement later Thursday, a Hamas spokesman accused Israel of changing signs defining areas still occupied by Israel, violating agreed maps that allow Israel to control more than 50 percent of areas in the region.
Residents told Reuters they saw what they saw in the eastern Gaza City suburb of Shejaia, adding that the yellow barricades marking areas still under Israeli control had been moved 100 meters to the west.
There was no comment from Israel regarding the positioning of the signs.
In the Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun, where at least 10 people were killed Wednesday in a building housing displaced families, Palestinians sifted through the rubble to salvage furniture and belongings while rescue teams searched for more victims.
“They say there is a ceasefire, but I doubt it. Every day they say there is a ceasefire, which is completely untrue,” Akram Iswair of Zeitoun said on Thursday. he said.
“Missiles hit poor displaced citizens. What can we, our women and our families do?” he told Reuters.
The ceasefire declared on October 10 in the two-year-old Gaza Strip war eased the conflict, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of the region.
Israel withdrew its soldiers from urban positions and aid flows increased.
Honored to speak today at the Senior Officials Meeting of the #Palestine 🇵🇸 Donor Group.#Gaza faces catastrophic humanitarian conditions that require responsible, coordinated and sustained international action.#Kuwait 🇰🇼 praises the #EU 🇪🇺-led initiative and welcomes all… pic.twitter.com/PDE6rF1XOy— Nawaf Alenezi (@NawafNafe3) 20 November 2025
Meanwhile, more than 60 delegations met in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the reconstruction, governance and security of the Gaza Strip and reform of the Palestinian Authority.
France and Saudi Arabia chaired a meeting of the Palestine Donor Group focused on Palestinian Authority (PA) reforms called for by the US peace plan approved by the United Nations Security Council on Monday.
The Palestinian Authority administers semi-autonomous areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and is making a new push to become a player in the post-war Gaza Strip.
The European Union, the Palestinian Authority’s largest financial supporter, hopes that the Palestinian Authority will be able to effectively govern the Gaza Strip after deep reforms.
However, US officials want the Palestinian Authority to reform first, and Israel rejects its involvement in the Gaza Strip.
The EU plans to train 3,000 Palestinian police officers to ensure the security of the Gaza Strip.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot promised that 100 French police officers would be assigned to this task.
The EU hopes to recruit from a pool of about 7,000 Gaza police officers after their salaries are paid by the Palestinian Authority, said a senior official charged with liaison for the EU foreign policy service but whose name was not authorized to be made public.
The EU is in talks with “neighboring countries” in the Gaza Strip about hosting the training programme.
with AP
