Drone Pursuit, Killings And Continued Operations Beyond The Ceasefire
Health officials in Gaza reported that at least seven Palestinians were killed in the latest Israeli operations on Saturday, including a 70-year-old woman and her son, who were reportedly chased and killed by a small drone in Gaza City. Other fatalities were reported in Beit Lahiya, Jabalia and Zeitoun as the Israeli military continued activities across the informal ceasefire demarcation known locally as the "yellow line."
Conflicting Accounts Over Circumstances
The Israeli military said it carried out three separate strikes, asserting that the individuals had crossed the unmarked boundary the forces set when the truce with Hamas began on October 10. Official statements described those targeted as having breached that line.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said witnesses described the elderly woman and her son being pursued by a quadcopter-style drone about one kilometre (half a mile) from the yellow line and left to "bleed to death" while the aircraft hovered overhead, preventing others from reaching them.
Mahmoud called the incident "one of many violations" since the ceasefire took effect, and noted the yellow line is not marked on the ground, meaning residents may inadvertently cross it.
Escalation Near Shujayea And Gaza City
Al Jazeera correspondents also reported that Israeli forces demolished residential buildings and public infrastructure in the Shujayea district, east of Gaza City, in a major assault involving tanks, attack drones and ground troops that forced residents to flee. The military has begun erecting sand barriers that isolate the eastern part of the city and pushed tanks and armoured vehicles 300 to 500 metres (985–1,640 feet) beyond the yellow line near Salah al-Din Street.
Diplomacy, Humanitarian Toll And International Reactions
At the Doha Forum, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warned the ceasefire is at a "critical moment" and at risk of collapsing without renewed diplomatic efforts. Saudi Foreign Ministry official Manal Radwan said she did not see "a partner for peace" or "a partner for a sustainable ceasefire."
The Gaza Health Ministry said the deaths on Saturday raise the toll since the October ceasefire to at least 367 Palestinians killed, with 953 wounded and 624 bodies recovered from rubble. UNICEF reported that 70 of the dead were children.
Humanitarian groups warn the crisis is deepening as winter approaches. Israeli rights group B'Tselem said restrictions on aid, including winter supplies, have left children in summer clothing and barefoot after storms destroyed 13,000 tents last month, calling the situation "a direct result of Israeli policy and international silence." The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that one in four households is surviving on only a single meal daily and that 10 percent of households went a full day without food at least once in the past month. OCHA also said humanitarian operations remain underfunded, with only 40 percent of a $4 billion appeal met for Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
In a diplomatic development, eight Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt and Qatar, issued a joint statement rejecting Israel's proposal to make the Rafah crossing one-way for Palestinians leaving Gaza, warning it could violate the US-brokered arrangements and risk enabling forced displacement. The UN estimates that at least 1.9 million people—around 90 percent of Gaza's population—have been displaced during the war.
Sources
Reporting cites Gaza health officials, Al Jazeera field reporting (Hani Mahmoud), statements from the Israeli military, UNICEF, B'Tselem and OCHA, and remarks from officials at the Doha Forum.
