In a month of ceasefire, 271 Palestinians were murdered in Gaza

Hamas reported this Monday (11) that 271 Palestinians were murdered and 622 injured during the first month of the ceasefire in Gaza. Among those injured, 221 were children.

According to the Gaza government, Israel continues to carry out air strikes and fire on civilian areas, repeatedly violating the truce agreement signed on October 10.

The deaths occurred in areas considered safe, close to food distribution centers and residential areas that had been declared free from military operations.

The ceasefire brokered by Egypt and Qatar provided for the end of Israeli attacks and the gradual withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip, but the agreement has been breached on dozens of occasions since its entry into force.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli forces opened fire on civilians awaiting humanitarian aid or trying to return to destroyed homes.

In a statement, the Gaza government stated that Israel uses the truce “as a cover to continue killing”, while at the same time presenting itself to the international community as committed to peace.

“The occupation forces continue their aggressions against defenseless civilians even during the so-called ceasefire,” said the ministry spokesperson.

The complaint also includes the persistent blocking of the entry of humanitarian aid. According to Hamas, only 40% of the agreed volume actually reached the territory. Trucks carrying food and medicine are held up or delayed by Israeli inspections at the Kerem Shalom and Beit Hanoun intersections, preventing the arrival of basic items.

International organizations report that hunger and the lack of drinking water affect more than 1.8 million people, with the aggravating factor being that hospitals and shelters continue to be at risk of collapse.

UN reports indicate that aid is “insufficient and irregular”, and that the inspection system imposed by Israel violates international humanitarian law.

Among the injured recorded since the beginning of the truce, more than two hundred are children. Hospitals operate at reduced capacity, facing a lack of fuel, supplies and electricity.

Local doctors report that many patients have died due to a lack of anesthesia or basic equipment, and that amputations are carried out in poor conditions. Images released by Palestinian agencies show rows of families in ruins of bombed schools and mosques, while medical teams try to improvise care tents.

Since the start of the Israeli offensive, in October 2023, the total number of deaths in the Gaza Strip has already exceeded 69 thousand people, according to the balance updated by the local government.

The continuation of attacks during the ceasefire reignited allegations of war crimes and the use of hunger as an instrument of coercion. The truce, presented by Israel as a humanitarian gesture, did not result in a significant improvement in the conditions of the civilian population.

Countries from the Global South, such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, reiterated calls for the UN to guarantee effective compliance with the ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid. Human rights organizations accuse the United States of complicity by maintaining military and financial support for Israel even after successive documented violations.

The October ceasefire was the result of intense negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar, with the aim of stabilizing the territory after eleven months of the Israeli offensive that devastated Gaza and displaced almost two million people.

However, the blockade remains, aid is insufficient and deaths continue. “Israel does not comply with the ceasefire and continues to kill our people, including children and women,” Hamas said in an official statement.

The movement stated that the truce will only make sense if it includes the end of the blockade and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces.