Gaza Airstrikes Kill Four as Ceasefire Doubts Persist

Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed at least four people and wounded several others, according to local health officials. The attacks, which occurred in three separate incidents in Gaza City, claimed the lives of three men, with the casualties taken to Shifa hospital. A fourth person died in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, with the body brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said the strikes were aimed at Hamas militants. However, the continued violence has deepened despair among Gaza's civilian population. Mohammad Hamad, a displaced man in Gaza City, expressed the frustration of many, stating that the ceasefire is merely a distraction and that people continue to die daily, with families afraid to let their children go outside.

The latest deaths come as international pressure mounts over the fragile truce. Nickolay Mladenov, the official overseeing the U.S. ceasefire plan, criticized Israel at a United Nations gathering on Wednesday for its ongoing attacks. He warned that the alternative to the U.S. proposal is another war, noting that while Hamas has agreed to disarm and transition Gaza to civilian rule, the continued strikes are preventing Gazans from feeling the conflict is ending.

Israel's deputy U.N. ambassador, Noa Furman, reiterated Israel's commitment to the peace plan but insisted that Hamas's disarmament must be the first step. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israeli forces will not withdraw from their current positions until all weapons are handed over. The recent U.S.-brokered deal with Hamas was seen as a potential breakthrough to end the war, which began with the militant group's deadly attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.