Deir Al-Balah: The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has crossed 70,000 since the war between Israel and Hamas began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday. Separately, hospital officials reported that two Palestinian boys were killed by Israeli fire in the southern part of the enclave.
Officials said fatalities have continued even after a ceasefire came into force on October 10. Israel has carried out fresh strikes, saying they were in response to alleged violations of the truce, while rescue teams are still recovering bodies from areas buried under debris from earlier attacks.
The ministry, which functions under the Hamas-run administration, reported the updated death toll at 70,100. It is run by medical staff and keeps detailed records that are generally regarded as credible by international observers.
Doctors at Nasser Hospital said the two victims were brothers aged eight and eleven. They were reportedly killed when an Israeli drone strike landed near a school sheltering displaced families in the town of Beni Suhaila, AP reported.
The Israeli military said it had shot dead two individuals who entered an Israeli-controlled area, claiming they were acting suspiciously and moving toward troops. The statement made no mention of children. It also said another person was killed in a separate incident under similar circumstances in the south.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 352 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on October 10. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its figures.
Israel maintains that its military operations target militants who breach the truce, while both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement. On Saturday, Hamas appealed to mediators to intervene and pressure Israel to halt what it described as repeated ceasefire violations in Gaza.
Meanwhile, a U.S. proposal for Gaza’s post-war future remains in its early planning phase. The outline for rebuilding, securing, and administering the territory — after more than two years of conflict — includes the deployment of an international security force, the creation of a transitional governing authority operating under U.S. President Donald Trump, and a possible pathway toward an independent Palestinian state.
Israeli military activity has also intensified beyond Gaza in recent weeks.
In Syria, local officials said Israeli troops raided a village on Friday and opened fire when confronted by residents, killing at least 13 people. Israel said the operation targeted members of an armed group suspected of plotting attacks inside Israel and that its forces came under fire, leaving six soldiers wounded.
Israel has also stepped up airstrikes in Lebanon, saying it is striking positions linked to Hezbollah and alleging that the armed group is trying to rebuild its military capacity.
Hezbollah urged Pope Leo XIV to “reject injustice and aggression” in response to the almost daily Israeli strikes, despite a ceasefire that ended the 14-month conflict between the two sides last year. The pope is currently making his first foreign visit to the region.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinians accused Israeli soldiers of summarily killing two men on Thursday after footage broadcast by Arab television channels appeared to show them being shot even after they had tried to surrender. The Israeli army said it had launched an investigation.
Violence involving Israeli settlers has also risen in the West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 10 Palestinians were wounded — some by beatings and others by live fire — during attacks by settlers on Saturday in Khallet al-Louza, a village near Bethlehem.