‘Pervasive fear’ grips Gaza as Israeli attacks persist despite ceasefire

A profound and **pervasive fear** grips the Gaza Strip as Israeli military operations **persist**, despite an ostensible ceasefire agreement remaining formally in effect. Recent incidents underscore the volatile environment: a drone strike claimed the life of a young woman and wounded fifteen individuals near Khan Younis, while a separate attack close to Gaza City resulted in injuries to a child. These latest aggressions occurred just one day after at least eleven people, including five members of a single family, were killed in residential apartments, according to Gaza's Civil Defence. Israel's military, however, claimed one individual killed was a combatant planning attacks.

The humanitarian impact of these continuous assaults is severe, fostering a "dark reality" within the besieged territory. Residents face repeated incidents of death, injury, and forced displacement, compounded by the ongoing closure of crossings, which obstructs vital medical evacuations and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Despite the ceasefire being "technically in effect" since October, Israeli forces have maintained control over more than half of Gaza, a condition that explicitly defies the agreement's terms. Data from Gaza's Health Ministry reveals a grim toll: at least 947 people have been killed and 2,935 injured since the ceasefire's supposed commencement.

In an effort to address the escalating crisis, Palestinian political entities are converging in Cairo for critical talks with Egyptian officials and mediators. The agenda includes finalizing the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire, which pertains to prisoner exchanges, and establishing definitive **mechanisms** to halt the recurrent Israeli attacks. Crucially, discussions will also focus on transitioning to the stalled second phase, envisioned to include the disarmament of Hamas and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hamas has conveyed its unwillingness to surrender its weapons at present but indicated a potential future arrangement where a technocratic committee administers Gaza, and a Palestinian police force becomes the sole entity with openly visible armaments, a detail subject to further national dialogue.