Top Headlines

Feeds

Bodies Arrive at Gaza Hospitals as Cease‑Fire Remains Stalled and Rafah Crossing Reopens for Limited Travel

Updated (27 articles)
  • None
    Image: Le Monde
    Le Monde Source Full size
  • Several strikes have been reported across the Strip, including in Khan Younis
    Image: BBC
    Several strikes have been reported across the Strip, including in Khan Younis (Anadolu via Getty Images) Source Full size
  • None
    Image: AP
    Source Full size
  • Several strikes have been reported across the Strip, including in Khan Younis
    Image: BBC
    Several strikes have been reported across the Strip, including in Khan Younis (Anadolu via Getty Images) Source Full size
  • A police station was also hit in Gaza City, local authorities say, killing at least 12
    Image: BBC
    A police station was also hit in Gaza City, local authorities say, killing at least 12 (Reuters) Source Full size
  • None
    Image: AP
    Source Full size
  • Ahmed Youssef, dans le camp d’Al-Mawassi, dans le sud de la bande de Gaza, en décembre 2025.COLLECTION PERSONNELLE
    Image: Le Monde
    Ahmed Youssef, dans le camp d’Al-Mawassi, dans le sud de la bande de Gaza, en décembre 2025.COLLECTION PERSONNELLE (COLLECTION PERSONNELLE) Source Full size

Cease‑fire casualties climb despite truce since October 10 The Gaza Health Ministry reports at least 556 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes since the U.S.‑brokered cease‑fire began, while Israel acknowledges four of its soldiers dead in Gaza [1][3][4][5]. Overall war death tolls exceed 70,000, a figure now cited by the Israeli military and echoed by the health ministry’s latest count of 71,667 [6][5]. Both civilian and combatant deaths are included, with children and women comprising a significant share of the casualties [5][4]. The high death toll fuels international pressure on both sides to enforce the truce [4][1].

Twenty‑four bodies reach Shifa Hospital, prompting cease‑fire query On February 6, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya posted on Facebook demanding “Where is the ceasefire? Where are the mediators?” after 24 bodies were delivered to Gaza hospitals [1]. Israel retrieved the final hostage’s body only a week earlier, while Hamas claims difficulty locating other remains due to extensive destruction [1]. The arrival of the bodies underscores the humanitarian crisis and the stalled negotiations over missing persons [1].

Rafah crossing reopens partially, allowing limited movement Following U.S. pressure, Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing for patients and relatives; 45 people crossed into Egypt on February 3 and a bus of returnees arrived in Gaza on February 4 [3][4]. Despite the reopening, fewer than 50 individuals were permitted to cross on Monday, highlighting the crossing’s constrained capacity [1]. Families expressed relief at reunions, but the limited flow does little to alleviate the broader humanitarian squeeze [3].

Key elements of the October agreement remain stalled The deployment of an international security force, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza reconstruction have not progressed since the cease‑fire [1]. President Trump’s 20‑point plan, accepted by Israel and Hamas in October, secured the release of all living hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and the return of remains [1]. However, implementation gaps persist, and Israel’s coordinating body COGAT disputes UN claims of aid delivery shortfalls [1].

Sources

Timeline

Oct 7, 2023 – Hamas launches a coordinated assault on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 civilians and seizing 251 hostages, which triggers Israel’s full‑scale war in Gaza[24].

Jul 16, 2024 – An Israeli air strike hits a school in Nuseirat, badly wounding 11‑year‑old Abdelrahman; doctors amputate his leg and his family later describes his severe psychological trauma[6].

Mar 2024 – Israeli forces attempt to arrest senior Hamas weapons chief Raed Saad in Gaza City, but he escapes moments before the raid is carried out[7].

Oct 10, 2025 – A U.S.‑brokered cease‑fire (the “pause”) takes effect, halting large‑scale combat and launching a phased plan that includes a hostage‑prisoner exchange, partial Israeli withdrawal and an aid surge[1][4][8][24].

Dec 3, 2025 – Israeli jets strike tents in al‑Mawasi west of Khan Younis, killing five Palestinians—including two children—after the IDF says a Hamas terrorist wounded soldiers earlier that day[10].

Dec 4, 2025 – Yasser Abu Shabab, head of the Popular Forces militia, is shot dead in Rafah while trying to mediate a family dispute; Israeli officials attempt, but fail, to evacuate him to a southern hospital[14][9].

Dec 8, 2025 – The Israel Defense Forces announce a review of the reported killing of three‑year‑old Ahed Tareq al‑Bayouk near Rafah, saying they were unaware of any strike at the time[8].

Dec 13, 2025 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Katz order the assassination of Hamas weapons chief Raed Saad; an Israeli vehicle strike in Gaza City kills Saad and three other civilians[15][22][7].

Dec 14, 2025 – Hamas confirms that Raed Saad was killed in the Israeli strike, labeling him a chief architect of the Oct 7 attack[21].

Dec 24, 2025 – Netanyahu accuses Hamas of breaching the cease‑fire after an explosive device wounds an Israeli officer in Rafah, warning that Israel will respond accordingly[26].

Jan 8, 2026 – Israeli air strikes kill eight Palestinians, including four children, when a drone hits a tent shelter and a school is struck in southern Gaza[4].

Jan 9, 2026 – Israeli attacks kill 13 people across Gaza; a U.S. official says President Trump will announce a “Board of Peace” next week, naming Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov as director‑general[20].

Jan 13, 2026 – An Israeli drone strike near the Morag corridor kills three Palestinians who approached troops, occurring as Gaza awaits the formal announcement of a technocratic Board of Peace to replace Hamas’s government[19].

Jan 21, 2026 – Israeli forces kill at least 11 Palestinians, including three journalists and two 13‑year‑old boys, in central Gaza and near displacement camps, marking one of the deadliest days since the cease‑fire began[18][3].

Jan 24, 2026 – Father Yusuf Zawara kneels over his dead 15‑year‑old son Mohammad in Shifa Hospital’s morgue, pleading “He’s sleeping… He’ll wake up now,” after an Israeli missile hits the boys gathering firewood near the Yellow Line[17].

Jan 29, 2026 – A senior Israeli security source tells journalists that the military now accepts the Hamas‑run health ministry’s death toll of over 70,000 Palestinians as largely accurate[2].

Jan 30, 2026 – Israeli officials publicly cite approximately 70,000 Gaza deaths, aligning with the health ministry’s count of 71,667 killed and 171,343 injured[12].

Jan 31, 2026 – Israeli air and artillery attacks across Gaza kill at least 31 people, the highest daily toll since early November, and the IDF says the strikes respond to a Hamas breach in eastern Rafah[11].

Feb 1, 2026 – Israeli air strikes kill at least 32 Palestinians, including children and women, after the IDF says Hamas violated the cease‑fire by moving terrorists from underground tunnels in Rafah; U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announces the start of phase two of the cease‑fire plan[1].

Feb 4, 2026 – Israeli strikes kill 23 Palestinians, targeting Hamas commander Bilal Abu Assi; the Rafah crossing partially reopens for limited patient travel, with 45 people crossing on Feb 3[25].

Feb 5, 2026 – Former senior Hamas cadre Ahmed Youssef, now living in a tent on Al‑Mawassi beach, declares the Oct 7 attack a “fatal error” and says the armed struggle has failed[27].

Feb 6, 2026 – Gaza’s health ministry reports 556 Palestinians killed since the October cease‑fire, while the Rafah crossing remains open but sees fewer than 50 crossings daily; Trump’s 20‑point plan is accepted and Hamas releases all living hostages in exchange for prisoners[16].

Dive deeper (7 sub-stories)

All related articles (27 articles)

External resources (4 links)