Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including a married couple and a 17-year-old boy, health officials said, despite a ceasefire that has been in place for a year.
Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed Akram Yassin and his wife, Dina Abu Baker, in their apartment in Gaza City, The Express Tribune reported, citing Reuters. The Israeli military confirmed the attack in the area but gave no further details.
Killed across the Strip
- Gaza City: Akram Yassin and Dina Abu Baker were killed when an airstrike hit their apartment
- Khan Younis: a 17-year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire near the Qizan Al-Najar neighbourhood in the south
- Zeitoun: another Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire in the suburb east of Gaza City
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the two shootings. Palestinians inspected the ruins of the apartment before gathering for the couple’s funeral.
“We’re supposed to be in a ceasefire period, but honestly, we are not seeing a ceasefire or anything. The war is still going on, assassinations are continuing, and the shelling has not stopped,” said Mahmoud Yassin, whose brother was killed.
A ceasefire in name only
Gaza health officials say at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the US-brokered ceasefire began a year ago. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the same period.
Israel claims Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the truce, and has stepped up strikes in recent weeks. Hamas denies trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal, and accuses Israel of undermining the peace deal.
The ceasefire calls for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, but little progress has been made on a deal to end the conflict, which includes terms for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its troops.
Britain rejects complicity inquiry
In London, the government of Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rejected a call by Jeremy Corbyn for an independent inquiry into “British complicity” in what he calls Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Middle East Eye reported.
The former Labour leader wants a Chilcot-style public inquiry into Britain’s military, economic and political cooperation with Israel, including weapons supplies, surveillance flights and the use of Royal Air Force bases. In a written answer on Monday, the government said an inquiry was not needed because there were “extensive mechanisms already available for parliamentary accountability and oversight”.
“Andy Burnham rightly said that the last Labour government ‘got it wrong’ over Gaza,” Corbyn said on Tuesday. “However, his words will mean very little if he doesn’t break with the last government’s shameful record of complicity, secrecy and evasion.”
“It’s not complicated: if the government has nothing to hide, then why block our efforts to expose the truth?” he said.
Britain has supplied Israel with arms during its military operation in Gaza, which has killed more than 74,480 people, and the RAF has carried out hundreds of surveillance flights over the territory, according to Middle East Eye.
Why it matters
For families in Gaza, the ceasefire has not ended the killing. A year on, with reconstruction stalled and deaths still mounting, pressure is growing in countries like Britain to account for their role in the war. Read our reports on the WFP’s cuts to Gaza food aid and on settler attacks on olive pickers in the West Bank.
This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune, Reuters and Middle East Eye.
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