Five Palestinians Killed by Israeli Forces in Gaza

(MENAFN) The Israeli military announced Friday that its forces killed three Palestinian militants in separate engagements across the Gaza Strip, while Palestinian media reported two additional deaths from Israeli drone strikes, pushing the ceasefire-period death toll closer to 900.

In the first incident, troops from the Northern Brigade operating in northern Gaza identified and shot dead a militant who crossed the so-called "Yellow Line" — a demarcation marking Israeli-held territory under the first phase of the current ceasefire — and advanced toward them, the military said in a statement Thursday. In a second overnight incident in southern Gaza, Israeli forces killed another militant who similarly crossed the "Yellow Line" and approached their position.

A third militant was killed overnight by troops from the 454th Brigade in northern Gaza, whom the military accused of acting suspiciously near the "Yellow Line" and posing a threat.

Beyond the military's account, Palestinian official news agency reported that a Palestinian was killed and others wounded Friday evening after an Israeli drone struck a group of people in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. A separate media report said another Palestinian was killed early Friday after being targeted by Israeli drone fire near the "Yellow Line" in the northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza.

The fresh deaths compound a mounting toll. Gaza-based health authorities reported Thursday that Israeli strikes have killed 883 Palestinians and wounded 2,648 others since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025. The cumulative death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, has climbed to 72,775 killed and 172,750 wounded.

On the diplomatic front, the Palestinian presidency welcomed a joint statement issued by the leaders of nine Western nations — Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands — cautioning Israel against further settlement expansion in the West Bank. The statement flagged that settler violence has reached "unprecedented levels," eroding stability and undermining prospects for a two-state solution.

The Palestinian presidency described the declaration as "an important step in the right direction," while pressing for concrete mechanisms to compel Israel to halt unilateral measures on the ground.

A recent UN report found that injuries from settler attacks have "sharply increased" in 2026, with roughly 490 Palestinians wounded so far this year — nearly matching full-year totals recorded in both 2023 and 2024.

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