Gaza Death Toll Continues to Mount Under Israeli Ceasefire

"Mahmoud Hamad*, a 36-year-old former engineer in Khan Yunis, tells Jezebel/Splinter that he now watches over his only surviving brother with constant fear, terrified that an Israeli attack could take his life, just as one last year killed nearly his entire family. "I am entrusted to take care of my brother until the last breath leaves my body. I can't bear to lose him. The thought of it keeps me awake at night. We're surrounded by death in Gaza, and I've seen countless deaths, but if I lose my brother I would have lost everything.""

"For families like Mahmoud's, the so-called ceasefire offers no reprieve and no easing of a suffocating siege; Gaza remains a territory where movement is restricted, and where any attempt to meet even the most basic of human needs can become a fatal risk. The conditions of siege have merely been repackaged under a different name, allowing Israel-and the United States-to claim de-escalation while maintaining structural pressures, from airstrikes and constant surveillance to the systematic deprivation of humanitarian aid."

"The persistence of Israeli military activity after October 11 has raised sharp criticism from legal experts and human rights monitors, many of whom argue that the pattern of conduct in Gaza stands in direct violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention's explicit prohibition of collective punishment and the"

Two Palestinian children, Fadi Abu Asi (8) and Tamer Abu Asi (11), were killed by Israeli bombardment in Khan Yunis. A survivor, Mahmoud Hamad, now watches over his only remaining brother in constant fear after last year’s attack killed nearly his entire family. The ceasefire has not ended movement restrictions or the suffocating siege; basic needs remain dangerous to pursue. Structural pressures continue through airstrikes, surveillance, and systematic deprivation of humanitarian aid. Legal experts and human rights monitors contend that ongoing military activity after October 11 violates international humanitarian law, including prohibitions on collective punishment.

Read at Jezebel