Israeli strikes on Jan. 8 killed at least 11 Palestinians across Gaza, including people in tents and a school sheltering displaced families, medics said. The military said it had hit a failed rocket launch site and accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire. The incidents add pressure to a fragile October truce, with both sides accusing each other of repeated breaches and disagreement persisting over disarmament, border crossings and next steps.
Israeli Strikes Kill 11 in Gaza After Military Hits Failed Rocket Launch Site — Ceasefire in Peril
Mourners react as they attend the funeral of a Palestinian who, according to medics, was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Israeli forces carried out multiple strikes across the Gaza Strip on Jan. 8, killing at least 11 Palestinians, medics and local officials said. The attacks came hours after the Israeli military reported it had struck the site of a failed militant rocket launch, in what both sides described as alleged ceasefire violations.
Palestinians transport a body after an Israeli strike, according to medics, at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Local medical sources said an airstrike on a tent in western Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed at least four people and wounded three others, including children. Another strike east of Khan Younis, in an area where Israeli forces are operating, killed a separate individual.
A mourner reacts as they attend the funeral of a Palestinian who, according to medics, was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Later the same day, medics reported that a man was killed when a strike hit a school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia in northern Gaza. Additional strikes were reported near Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, where four people were killed. Local health authorities put the day's toll at a minimum of 11 fatalities.
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings following Israeli military operations in Gaza City, November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
There was no immediate official comment from Israeli authorities on the reported civilian deaths. Earlier, the Israeli military said it had targeted a rocket launch site shortly after a rocket that failed to reach Israeli territory was fired. The military accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire twice within 24 hours; a Hamas source told Reuters the group was assessing the allegation.
Ceasefire Looking Fragile
The ceasefire brokered in October remains limited to its initial phase, under which major combat paused, Israel withdrew from less than half of Gaza, and some hostages and human remains were exchanged. Under proposed subsequent phases tied to a U.S.-backed plan associated with Donald Trump, Hamas would disarm, Israel would withdraw further, and an internationally backed administration would help rebuild Gaza — but few concrete steps toward those goals have been made.
Since the ceasefire took effect, local sources say more than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed. Gaza's health ministry reports a far larger death toll for the wider offensive. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violations: Israel says it will respond to militant attacks with 'utmost severity', while Hamas officials say they have documented more than 1,100 Israeli violations of the truce and have urged mediators to intervene.
Israel is awaiting the handover of the final body required under the first stage of the truce and has said it will not move to the next phase until the remains of the last Israeli hostage believed held in Gaza are returned. Israel has also kept the Rafah crossing into Egypt closed, stating it will open the crossing only after the handover.
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