Ceasefire in Name Only: Over 1,300 Killed in Gaza Since October Truce

Ceasefire in Name Only: Over 1,300 Killed in Gaza Since October Truce

Despite a ceasefire agreement accepted by both Israel and Hamas, deadly Israeli strikes have continued almost daily, with the Gaza health ministry reporting more than 900 deaths since the start of 2026 and over 1,300 fatalities since the truce began in October 2025.

The Gaza health ministry has reported that more than 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the territory since the start of 2026, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025. The total number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began now exceeds 1,300, including 301 children, according to ministry figures verified by international experts.

Israel and Hamas agreed to halt the war after accepting United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which called for an end to “all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment.” However, according to the Gaza health ministry, deadly Israeli attacks have continued every month since the ceasefire came into force on 10 October 2025. The ministry recorded 251 deaths in the first three weeks of the ceasefire alone, and monthly death tolls have remained persistently high.

Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described the situation as a “ceasefire in name only.” He said Israeli air and drone strikes had continued almost daily and that, “though it claims to be targeting Hamas or imminent threats, it is Gaza’s civilians that have continued to bear the brunt.” Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, echoed this assessment, stating that “while the ceasefire has formally held, Israeli strikes have continued to kill and injure civilians, destroy homes, and erode any sense of safety.”

The health ministry’s figures show that more than 100 people were killed in each month between April and August this year. July recorded the highest monthly death toll, with 152 people killed, including 21 children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. However, the United Nations considers its overall figures reliable, while experts who spoke to BBC Verify said independent analysis was consistent with the ministry’s data. By mid-March 2026, the ministry had recorded 671 deaths and 1,779 injuries since the ceasefire began. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) later reported that 1,209 people had been killed and 3,943 injured since the ceasefire was announced. The overall death toll since the conflict began on 7 October 2023 now stands at 72,247, with 171,878 wounded.

READ ALSO:

UNICEF has reported that at least 300 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire announcement in October 2025. Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “A ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead each and every day is failing children. With hundreds more children injured, many severely, children in Gaza are still waiting for the end to the violence they were promised.” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described the number of child deaths as “absurd and devastating”, adding that hundreds more children had been injured.

The agency warned that families are now confined to approximately one third of the Gaza Strip, sheltering among destroyed buildings, rubble and uncleared waste. Children continue to face acute malnutrition, disease, unsafe water and damaged sanitation systems. The World Health Organisation reported that essential medical supplies, including some delivered by the agency, were destroyed after attacks near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. The Gaza health ministry has also reported that building collapses caused by winter weather have killed 28 people since the start of the season, as damaged structures give way under rain and high winds.

Humanitarian organisations have also reported the deaths of aid workers during the ceasefire. The Aid Worker Security Database told BBC Verify that 22 aid workers had been killed in Gaza since 10 October 2025. Humanitarian access remains severely constrained, with aid deliveries continuing to fall far below agreed levels. The Norwegian Refugee Council reported that it has supported close to one million people in Gaza through water and sanitation, shelter, legal, protection, education, food and cash services, despite operating under extreme conditions. OCHA reported that UN partners recently improved 3,000 makeshift shelters in Gaza City and distributed emergency shelter items to 9,000 households.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disputes the health ministry’s figures, saying there is “no basis to assume” that all those listed were killed as a result of Israeli military activity. It said it operates in “a precise manner to remove threats and protect its troops and Israeli civilians, in accordance with the agreement,” and that it works to mitigate any civilian harm “to the greatest extent possible.” The IDF says five of its soldiers have been killed in combat since the ceasefire and one contractor was killed in an “operational accident.” It also says it has killed hundreds of military operatives since October.

READ ALSO:

Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (Acled) has recorded around 200 Israeli strikes during the ceasefire that reportedly killed Hamas operatives or other armed militants, including commanders involved in planning the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. The IDF told BBC Verify it “remains committed” to the ceasefire agreement and that there have been “continued violations and threats posed by Hamas and other terror organisations” in Gaza.

BBC Verify has analysed dozens of videos showing the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire. In one incident on 18 August, six people were reportedly killed in a strike on a beachside cafe in Gaza City. The following day, nine people, including a 13-year-old child, were reportedly killed in a strike on a police headquarters in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood. The IDF said it was targeting Hamas commanders and terrorists in both incidents and that “steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians.”

In July, seven people were killed and 22 injured in a strike on a reported funeral procession in Nuseirat, according to Al-Awda Hospital. Verified images showed nine people covered in blood lying on the street, with two appearing to still be alive and being treated by bystanders. The IDF said it was targeting a “significant military operative” of Palestinian Islamic Jihad who was involved in the 7 October 2023 attacks. On 1 August, a strike on an apartment block in western Gaza City reportedly killed a pregnant woman, her husband and their young son. The IDF said it had targeted an acting Hamas commander.

Independent research group Airwars said its own investigations were consistent with the health ministry’s figures, recording more than 60 deadly incidents in July, which it described as the highest number of fatal incidents in a month since the ceasefire began. Professor Michael Spagat of Royal Holloway, University of London, said the health ministry’s figures could be independently assessed because it publishes information including the names and ages of those killed. He said Gaza’s monthly death toll since April had been roughly twice the level recorded in December, with July the deadliest month and August still significantly higher than earlier periods.

Egeland warned that ongoing talks led by the Board of Peace have introduced new conditions that link reconstruction, the lifting of restrictions, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the disarmament of Hamas. “Failure of these negotiations could trigger renewed large-scale hostilities. Civilians are already paying the price of this uncertainty,” he said. For children in Gaza, UNICEF has outlined a simple test: “Does the killing stop? Does aid reach them at scale? Do hospitals reopen and water flow? Will children return to school safely in September?”