Israeli forces fired across the ceasefire line in northern Gaza on Friday, killing at least five Palestinians, including an infant, Shifa Hospital said. Israel says troops engaged "suspicious individuals" west of the Yellow Line and is reviewing the incident. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will host regional mediators in Florida to try to advance a more complex second phase of the ceasefire. That next phase would tackle stabilization, governance and disarmament amid stalled progress and ongoing mutual accusations of violations.
Israeli Fire Across Ceasefire Line Kills At Least Five Palestinians, Including Infant
Palestinians carry the body of a person killed in an Israeli military strike as they arrive at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops fired across the ceasefire line in northern Gaza on Friday, killing at least five Palestinians, including a baby, Shifa Hospital said. The victims were reported from Tuffah, an eastern neighborhood of Gaza City, hospital managing director Rami Mhanna said.
Israel's military said its forces "identified a number of suspicious individuals … in command structures west of the Yellow Line" and opened fire. The military added the incident is under review and "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals." The Yellow Line marks the boundary between the Israeli-held portion of Gaza and the rest of the territory and was established under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect in October.
Also on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was preparing to host senior officials from regional mediators of the Gaza truce in Florida, a U.S. official said. The meetings are intended to press the fragile ceasefire into a more complex second phase of implementation.
Context And Stakes
The first phase of the ceasefire began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Of the 251 hostages taken in that attack, all but one have been recovered, alive or dead, in exchanges for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the war has killed more than 70,660 Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children. The ministry — which operates under the Hamas-run administration — does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its totals; it is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records that are generally regarded as reliable by much of the international community.
Although the ceasefire, now in its third month, has largely held, progress toward a durable settlement has slowed amid mutual accusations of violations. The planned second phase of the agreement faces major, politically sensitive challenges, including deployment of an international stabilization force, creation of a technocratic interim governing body for Gaza, disarmament of Hamas and further Israeli troop withdrawals.
Human Cost: The reported deaths — including a baby — underscore the continued risk to civilians even as the truce remains mostly in place.
The Israeli military review into Friday's firing and the diplomatic discussions in Florida are likely to influence whether the fragile truce can move forward into the more complicated steps envisioned by mediators.
