The latest Israeli attacks bring the total number of deaths in Gaza since the October ‘ceasefire’ to 614.
Published: February 21, 2026
At least two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on the third day of Ramadan, following the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement signed with Hamas four months ago.
Saturday’s attacks took place in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza and the Kizan an-Najjar district in southern Gaza.
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According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the total number of deaths from Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect has risen to 614, with 1,640 Palestinians injured.
The Israeli military appeared to acknowledge one of the attacks in a post about
“We will continue to take action to eliminate the immediate threat,” the military said.
‘Peace Committee’ deliberation
Saturday’s attack came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace council held its first-ever meeting addressing reconstruction, security and governance on the war-torn Strip.
At the meeting, President Trump announced that in addition to the United States donating $10 billion, nine countries donated $7 billion to reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip. Although a significant sum, the total falls far short of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild devastated Palestinian territories.
Trump also said five countries had pledged to send troops to participate in the final 20,000-strong International Stabilization Force (ISF) that would take over security from Hamas. But the disarmament of Hamas, which is required in the next phase of the deal, has not yet been resolved and risks delaying or derailing the entire process.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for Hamas to be disarmed before reconstruction begins. Last week, a senior Netanyahu aide said Israel planned to give Hamas 60 days to comply before resuming the war, but Hamas rejected the ultimatum.
Hamas said it would not give up its weapons as long as Israel continued to occupy the Strip and that any discussion of the political process in Gaza “must start with a complete cessation of attacks.”
The group said it was open to peacekeeping forces, but with some caveats.
“We want a peacekeeping force that monitors the ceasefire, ensures its implementation, and acts as a buffer between the occupation forces and the Gaza population without interfering in Gaza’s internal affairs,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Friday.
‘My vision is unclear’
The next phase of Trump’s plan for Gaza, along with the disarmament of Hamas, calls for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of the ISF, including a transitional Palestinian technocrat council to oversee day-to-day governance.
Many Palestinians told Al Jazeera they were highly skeptical about the plan’s prospects for success, citing Israel’s continued deadly attacks and a continued lack of aid.
“Israel is killing, bombing, violating ceasefire agreements every day and expanding the buffer zone without anyone stopping it.” said Awad al-Ghoul, 70, a Palestinian who became a refugee from Tal As-Sultan in southern Rafah and now lives in a tent in the village of Azzawada.
“So this project was a failure from the beginning and the vision was unclear.”
