Teenager among four killed in Israel strikes and gunfire in Gaza during 'ceasefire'

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least four ​Palestinians, including a married couple and a 17-year-old, in separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, officials have said. Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed Akram Yassin and his wife ⁠Dina Abu Baker in an apartment in Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it struck a militant in the area, without giving further details. In Khan Younis, in the south, medics said a 17-year-old boy was killed ⁠by Israeli gunfire near the ​Qizan ⁠Al-Najar neighbourhood, while another was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Zeitoun suburb east of Gaza City, taking Tuesday's ⁠death toll to at least four. The Israeli military did not immediately ​comment ⁠on either of the two gunfire ‌incidents.

Palestinians inspected the aftermath of the strike on the apartment in Gaza City 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. open image in gallery A man inspects the damage following an Israeli strike on a residential building that killed two people in Gaza City on October 20, 2026 ( AFP/Getty ) Israel, which says the Hamas militant group has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire, has stepped up strikes on the group in recent weeks.

Hamas has denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal. The ceasefire, brokered by the ‌US a year ago, calls for the eventual reconstruction of ​the territory. But little progress has been made towards ‌implementing a deal to end ⁠the conflict that includes terms for Hamas to disarm ⁠and Israel to withdraw its troops. The deaths come as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel on ⁠Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge. open image in gallery Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinian Tamer Al-Sabagh, who was killed in an Israeli strike yesterday, in Gaza City, October 20, 2026 ( Reuters ) News of Hegseth's trip comes a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu ⁠in next week's parliamentary election in Israel - its ​first ⁠vote since the Hamas ‌attack on October 7, 2023, that shook the country and plunged the Middle East into turmoil, ‌as Israel went to war ‌in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, although the opposition may ⁠also struggle to form a government, opinion polls show. Gaza health officials have said at least 1,500 Palestinians have ‌been killed by ​Israeli fire since the ceasefire. ‌Israel says four of its soldiers ​have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.