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Ceasefire, then more deaths
Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday as air and artillery attacks expanded their control in eastern Gaza City, according to Palestinian medical officials and local sources cited by Anadolu and reported by News.az.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 33-year-old Nihad Riyad Arouq was killed when an Israeli drone struck a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the port area west of Gaza City, and a medical source at Al-Shifa Medical Complex told Anadolu that several other people, including children, were injured.
In the same reporting, a medical source told Anadolu that 37-year-old Ibrahim Khattab was killed while his wife and children were injured during heavy Israeli artillery shelling and gunfire from military vehicles that advanced near Dawla Junction southeast of Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood.
The Israeli army told AFP that on Thursday in Beit Lahya it had killed "two terrorists who crossed the yellow line", delimiting the zone under the control of Israeli troops, and approached its soldiers "in a manner constituting an immediate threat".
Le Monde with AFP said the Gaza Civil Defense announced the death of four people, including a child, killed by Israeli gunfire and bombardments in various parts of the Palestinian territory on April 16.
Stalled talks, widening control
Ceasefire negotiations were described as stalling as Israeli strikes continued, with Shafaq News saying the violence came as renewed violence overshadowed ceasefire negotiations.
Shafaq News reported that sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters the discussions covered Hamas' disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and post-war governance, but ended without significant progress amid deep mistrust between the two sides.
In parallel, Anadolu reporting said Israeli military vehicles advanced overnight near Dawla Junction under heavy artillery and live fire, moving dozens of meters toward Salah al-Din Street and pushing westward the concrete barriers marking the so-called Yellow Line.
Anadolu also said Israeli officials claimed the military now controls more than 70% of the enclave, up from 53% under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, while the Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect have killed 1,123 Palestinians and injured 3,616 others as of Wednesday.
Al Jazeera framed the broader pattern as a "Cycle of chaos" in which Israel continues to launch deadly raids across the Palestinian territory despite a months-long “ceasefire,” citing Hamas fighters and “imminent threats”.
What is at risk next
Le Monde with AFP said Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025 after two years of war, with at least 766 Palestinians killed since October 10 according to the Gaza health ministry under Hamas' authority.
The same reporting said the Israeli army has recorded five soldiers killed in its ranks since the start of the truce, while it was "verifying" information regarding the child and the man killed in the South.
Al Jazeera added that analysts warn Israel’s daily incursions are part of a calculated pattern to kill law enforcement officers, medical professionals, government officials and intellectuals, which they say could derail a United States-backed plan for a post-war Gaza.
Al Jazeera also quoted Ahmed al-Tanani saying, "Israeli missiles primarily aim to push the Strip into a continuous cycle of death, non-recovery, chaos and internal security tampering."
In the background of those claims, Anadolu said the Yellow Line is a security zone established by Israel inside the Gaza Strip where Palestinians are barred from approaching adjacent areas, as witnesses said the expansion reduced territory accessible to Palestinians and prompted dozens of families to flee.
