Two Israeli airstrikes in the central Gaza Strip killed at least two people on Sunday, according to Palestinian health officials. One of the fatalities was identified by medics as Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, a 4-year-old boy who died at a hospital from injuries caused by shrapnel and debris. The strikes hit a building in the town of Zawayda and the Nuseirat refugee camp. Residents in Zawayda stated that the Israeli military had issued a warning for the property owners to leave the area prior to the attack.
The Israeli military stated it was investigating both Sunday strikes. This follows a military announcement late Saturday that an airstrike in Deir Al-Balah killed Sharif Al-Hasnat, whom Israel identified as a senior Hamas militant involved in restoring underground infrastructure. While a U.S.-backed ceasefire was established in October 2025, Israel has continued military operations it says are necessary to prevent attacks by Hamas and other militants. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement and undermining a broader peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Violence also occurred Sunday in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A 14-year-old boy, Islam Ajjouri, was shot and killed by Israeli forces during a raid on the Askar refugee camp near Nablus, Palestinian health officials said. Separately, the Israeli military reported that an Israeli man was wounded in a knife attack near Jericho by a suspect believed to be Palestinian. Security footage showed a man stabbing the victim near a parked car before fleeing on foot. The Israeli military stated it was looking into the shooting at the refugee camp and searching for the suspect in the stabbing.
For the 3 million Palestinians and approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank, the daily environment is marked by rising land seizures and settler-related violence. The concrete impact on residents includes military raids in refugee camps and personal security threats on public highways, as seen in the stabbing near Jericho and the shooting in Nablus. These events occur against a backdrop of international legal disputes; U.N. bodies and most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under laws regarding military occupation, while Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the territory.
The ongoing cycle of strikes and retaliations complicates the implementation of a broader U.S.-backed peace plan intended to facilitate Israeli military withdrawals and the disarmament of Hamas. The stalemate between Hamas and the Israeli government regarding a permanent end to the conflict suggests that the current pattern of periodic airstrikes and ground raids will persist. The next steps involve the continued search for the West Bank stabbing suspect and the conclusion of the Israeli military's internal reviews regarding the Sunday strikes that killed the 4-year-old boy and the 14-year-old teenager.