Israel kills 119 Palestinians in Gaza in deadliest month of 2026

At least 119 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in May, marking the highest monthly death toll recorded this year despite a US-backed ceasefire.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that at least 19 children and 10 women were among those killed during the month.

The rising death toll comes as Israel has intensified its attacks on the besieged territory despite the US-brokered ceasefire intended to end the occupying regime’s genocidal war.

According to local media, Israel committed 11 new violations of the ceasefire agreement over the past 24 hours alone, killing and injuring several Palestinians.

On Wednesday morning, Israeli military vehicles opened heavy fire on eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israeli troops also attacked areas east of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 72,942 Palestinians and wounded over 173,011 others.

A US-backed ceasefire announced in October was intended to halt the war and facilitate the entry of aid, food, fuel, and medicine into Gaza. However, Israel has continued to violate the agreement and largely maintain the blockade, leaving humanitarian conditions catastrophic across the densely populated and besieged strip.

Israeli airstrikes and shelling have also continued since the ceasefire took effect, killing more than 939 people and injuring 2,889 others.

Amid the continued attacks, Hamas issued several statements condemning the ongoing Israeli “crimes and violations.”

The resistance movement’s military spokesperson, Abu Obeida, condemned the “daily killing of our people and our resistance fighters,” referring to the assassinations of several senior commanders over the past month.

“If our cowardly enemy imagines that it can weaken us by assassinating our leaders, then their blood is the fuel that propels our ship through difficulties and proof of the truth of our cause, our leadership, our unity with our people, and our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for them,” he said.

Hamas warns Israel of 'heavy price' for violations

Hamas

In a separate statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem dismissed allegations that the resistance movement was unwilling to relinquish control of Gaza, calling them "misleading lies aimed at providing cover for the occupation to continue its aggression."

He blamed Israel and Nickolay Mladenov, director-general of the American "Board of Peace," for blocking a technocratic committee from entering the strip and taking over the administration of the territory from Hamas.

Government Media Office: Israel’s genocide continues amid aid restrictions

The director general of Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) says Israel is deliberately restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and other essential supplies, into the Gaza Strip by using delays and crossing closures as part of a systematic strategy to continue the genocide against Palestinians.

In an interview published by Palestine newspaper on Wednesday, Ismail al-Thawabta said the restrictions are a political and military decision aimed at deepening the humanitarian crisis and reinforcing the blockade on more than two million Palestinians.

His remarks come as the volume of aid entering Gaza remains well below both growing humanitarian needs and the levels stipulated in previous agreements.

According to Thawabta, the agreement required the entry of 139,200 aid and commercial trucks, but Israel allowed only 50,636 to enter. He described the policy as “deliberate starvation” targeting civilians.

He warned that Gaza is rapidly approaching full-scale famine, saying the 64 percent shortfall in aid trucks and essential supplies has pushed around 2.4 million Palestinians toward hunger and thirst.

Thawabta also said Israel has denied thousands of patients and wounded people the opportunity to receive treatment outside Gaza, which continues to face severe shortages of medical supplies, equipment, and medicine.

Only 5,836 people were allowed to leave the territory, compared with 17,800 who were supposed to be permitted to travel under the agreements, he said.

He further noted that Israel continues to block the entry of sufficient diesel fuel and spare parts for generators, directly affecting infrastructure and essential services across Gaza.

Warning of a comprehensive humanitarian collapse if the situation persists, Thawabta called on mediators, particularly Egypt and Qatar, as well as the broader international community, to take action to compel Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement and permanently open Gaza’s crossings.

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