Up to 1,005 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and the militant group Hamas in October 2025. This is according to data reported by NPR on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
Despite being labeled a ceasefire, Gaza continues to experience near-daily airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire along the demarcation lines. The latest casualties occurred after a series of Israeli drone strikes targeted towns and refugee shelters in central Gaza.
Bombs struck a group of people staying near the beach in the Muwasi tent camp
In Wednesday's attack, Israel killed two Palestinians and wounded six others in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Heartbroken families of the victims revealed through tears that bombs struck a group of people staying near the beach in the Muwasi tent camp, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are currently taking refuge. The Israeli military acknowledged the attack, briefly claiming the target was "terrorists" but provided no further details. Meanwhile, they continue to expand their controlled territory, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire agreement first.
Additional Context: As of Sunday, June 14, 2026, the Gaza Health Ministry highlighted that the total death toll in this protracted war between Israel and Hamas has surged past 73,000, a figure that includes both civilians and militants combined.
This devastating war initially erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise raid into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages. This provoked a fierce retaliatory campaign from Israeli leaders aimed at completely eradicating Hamas and securing the freedom of all hostages.
