Israeli airstrike kills 8 at Gaza funeral as ceasefire unravels

Israeli warplanes struck a funeral gathering in central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp on Friday, killing at least 8 people and wounding 20, as a months-old ceasefire with Hamas continues to fray under repeated violations from both sides.

"The targeting of mourners at a funeral is another heinous crime that demonstrates Israel's systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement," the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said in a statement. The United Nations human rights office said last month that Israeli forces had attacked Gaza police personnel at least a dozen times in 2026, raising concerns that "no distinction" was being made between police and armed group fighters.

Friday's strike follows an Israeli air attack on a police station in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza a day earlier that killed 7 people, including senior police commander Col. Mohamad Marwan Salem. Witnesses told the BBC that an Israeli drone fired four missiles at the post near a busy market. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying it had targeted "terrorists," but did not provide evidence linking those killed to militant activity.

The ceasefire, brokered in October 2025, halted the heaviest fighting of a war that began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which is run by the Hamas-led government but whose casualty records are considered generally reliable by UN agencies.

Ceasefire Under Strain

At least 1,123 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza's Health Ministry said, while 5 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period. Both sides have accused each other of near-daily violations. The Israeli military has said its strikes respond to shooting attacks on troops and other breaches by militant groups.

The pattern of attacks on police personnel — including during routine operations such as directing traffic and patrolling markets — has drawn condemnation from international bodies. The UN human rights office said in a June 3 statement that the strikes raised concerns about whether Israeli forces were applying the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law.

What's at Stake

The erosion of the ceasefire threatens to reignite full-scale hostilities in a conflict that has already displaced more than 1.9 million people across Gaza, according to UN estimates. Each escalation widens the humanitarian toll and complicates diplomatic efforts to extend the truce. The last time a similar breakdown occurred during a Gaza ceasefire — in the 2014 conflict — the resumption of airstrikes led to a further 50 days of fighting and more than 2,200 casualties before a new agreement was reached.

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