CAIRO: Israeli strikes killed two Palestinians in separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said, and fighters from Hamas confronted gunmen from an Israeli-backed militia.
Medics said one man was killed in an Israeli air strike at Bureij camp, in the central area of the enclave, while another strike killed one person and wounded others in Gaza City.
The two deaths were the latest violence to overshadow the US-brokered ceasefire deal signed in October after two years of devastation. Progress on moving forward with parts the deal, which include the disarmament of Hamas and Israeli army pullouts, has stalled.
The ceasefire left Israeli troops in control of a depopulated zone that makes up well over half of Gaza, with Hamas controlling the narrow coastal strip that remains.
Over 750 Palestinians have lost their lives despite ceasefire
More than 750 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire deal took effect, according to local medics, while Israel says fighters have killed four of its soldiers. Israel and Hamas have traded blame for ceasefire violations.
Militia clashes with Palestinians
Also on Monday, residents and sources close to Hamas said members of an Israel-backed militia operating in an area under Israeli control clashed with Palestinian fighters after crossing into a Hamas-run area east of Khan Yunis.
As the militiamen tried to retreat, a Hamas fighter fired an anti-tank grenade towards their vehicle, some residents and a Hamas source said. An explosion was heard, but there was no word about casualties.
A video showed gunmen, apparently from the militia, dressed in black uniform and clutching AK assault rifles arriving at a Hamas-run area in eastern Khan Yunis before shooting is heard.
The emergence of the groups, although they remain small and localised, has added to pressures on Hamas and could complicate efforts to stabilise and unify a divided and shattered Gaza. The groups remain unpopular as they operate under Israeli control.
EU backs Palestinians
European backers put on a show of support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the push for a two-state solution Monday on Monday.
The efforts to bolster the Palestinian Authority come as US President Donald Trump has sidelined it in his plans for Gaza and the “Board of Peace” initiative.
“We meet in the middle of a storm. But we cannot abandon the compass,” said Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot at the start of a meeting of the “Global Alliance for the Two-State Solution”.
“We must hold the course, because the Israeli-Palestinian issue is affecting the Middle East as a whole and also the rest of the world.”
The European Union is the biggest financial backer of the Palestinians. “We can, and must do more, to ensure respect for human rights and accountability, to protect the Palestinian people and to put the two-state solution solidly on the table again,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Attending the Brussels conference, Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa said it was happening “at a moment defined by both immense tragedy and a narrow, but real opportunity to move from war toward a just and lasting peace”. He insisted that post-conflict Gaza remained an “integral part of the state of Palestine” and that governance should eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2026
