Israeli attacks on Gaza and occupied West Bank kill two, including child
Al Jazeera
β’Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:21:59 +0000
π° What Happened
Israeli forces continued attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, killing at least two Palestinians despite the ceasefire that ostensibly took effect in October 2025. A 12-year-old child was killed and several others wounded in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, during an Israeli drone strike, according to health officials at the Nasser Medical Complex. The killings occurred just one day after a United Nations commission of inquiry released a damning report finding that Israel's deliberate targeting of children is part of its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,027 people and injured 3,280 others. The overall toll since October 2023 has reached 73,041 Palestinians killed and 173,402 wounded. The UN commission chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated that "the evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed" by Israeli forces, and that even after the ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured.
π The Backstory
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and saw around 250 taken hostage. Israel responded with a massive military campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million population, and caused widespread destruction of housing, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure. A ceasefire was announced in October 2025, but it has been repeatedly violated, with Israeli forces continuing drone strikes, raids, and incursions. The UN commission of inquiry, established by the Human Rights Council, has been investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity by all parties. Its latest report specifically found patterns of deliberate targeting of children by Israeli forces, constituting violations of the Genocide Convention. The occupied West Bank has also seen a surge of Israeli military operations and settler violence over the same period.
π― Why It Matters
The continued killing of children during a supposed ceasefire underscores the profound failure of international diplomatic efforts to protect civilians in Gaza. The UN commission's finding that children are being deliberately targeted elevates the conflict's legal stakes, with potential implications for international criminal prosecutions and sanctions. The large and growing death toll β now over 73,000 β represents a generational trauma that will shape Palestinian society and regional politics for decades.
Israeli forces continued attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, killing at least two Palestinians despite the ceasefire that ostensibly took effect in October 2025. A 12-year-old child was killed and several others wounded in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, during an Israeli drone strike, according to health officials at the Nasser Medical Complex. The killings occurred just one day after a United Nations commission of inquiry released a damning report finding that Israel's deliberate targeting of children is part of its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,027 people and injured 3,280 others. The overall toll since October 2023 has reached 73,041 Palestinians killed and 173,402 wounded. The UN commission chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated that "the evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed" by Israeli forces, and that even after the ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and saw around 250 taken hostage. Israel responded with a massive military campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million population, and caused widespread destruction of housing, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure. A ceasefire was announced in October 2025, but it has been repeatedly violated, with Israeli forces continuing drone strikes, raids, and incursions. The UN commission of inquiry, established by the Human Rights Council, has been investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity by all parties. Its latest report specifically found patterns of deliberate targeting of children by Israeli forces, constituting violations of the Genocide Convention. The occupied West Bank has also seen a surge of Israeli military operations and settler violence over the same period.
The continued killing of children during a supposed ceasefire underscores the profound failure of international diplomatic efforts to protect civilians in Gaza. The UN commission's finding that children are being deliberately targeted elevates the conflict's legal stakes, with potential implications for international criminal prosecutions and sanctions. The large and growing death toll β now over 73,000 β represents a generational trauma that will shape Palestinian society and regional politics for decades.