Israeli forces killed no fewer than 119 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during May, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Tuesday, June 3 — the largest monthly death toll recorded in 2026. The figure comes seven months after a US-mediated ceasefire came into effect, as Israel continues military operations across the territory. At least 19 children and 10 women were among those killed last month, the ministry said.
During the 24 hours preceding the ministry’s announcement alone, 11 new Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement were recorded, resulting in Palestinian deaths and injuries, according to local media. Heavy gunfire from Israeli military vehicles was reported targeting eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Wednesday morning. Separately, the Israeli army attacked eastern areas of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said Israel has committed more than 3,000 violations across the territory since October, ranging from shelling and air strikes to the direct targeting of civilians, the destruction of residential areas, and continued incursions into populated neighbourhoods. Those violations have killed more than 933 people and wounded a further 2,868 since the ceasefire took effect. At least 82 people have also been abducted by Israeli forces during the same period, the office said.
The cumulative death toll since October 2023 now stands at 72,942, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, with thousands more reported missing and presumed dead beneath the rubble.
Hamas’s military spokesperson, Abu Obeida, addressed the killings in a pre-recorded speech on Tuesday, condemning what he called the “daily killing of our people and our resistance fighters.” He pointed specifically to the assassinations of several high-profile leaders over the past month.
“If our cowardly enemy imagines that it can weaken us by assassinating our leaders, then their blood is the fuel that propels our ship through difficulties and proof of the truth of our cause, our leadership, our unity with our people, and our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for them,” Abu Obeida said.
In a separate statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem pushed back against allegations that the movement was unwilling to relinquish administrative control of Gaza, calling them “misleading lies aimed at providing cover for the occupation to continue its aggression.” Qassem also blamed Israel and Nickolay Mladenov, director-general of the American Board of Peace, for preventing a technocratic committee from entering Gaza to take over the territory’s administration from Hamas.
Regional and Global Impact
The May fatality count and the breakdown of ceasefire adherence have brought renewed scrutiny to the longevity of the October agreement, which was brokered by the United States. Critics, according to Middle East Eye, say Israel’s continued military operations — including aid restrictions, territorial seizures, and attacks across the enclave — violate the terms of the truce. Progress toward the second phase of the agreement, which was intended to move toward a more permanent resolution, has stalled.
The blocking of the technocratic committee from entering Gaza, as described by Hamas’s Qassem, leaves the question of post-war governance unresolved. Hamas retains administrative control of the territory, a situation Israel and the United States have said they oppose.
Background
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2023 following intensive US-led mediation. The agreement was structured in phases, with the first phase aimed at halting active hostilities and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel has restricted aid flows and continued military operations since then, actions that Gaza’s Government Media Office has catalogued as violations. The overall death toll from the conflict now exceeds 72,900, according to Palestinian health authorities.
What Happens Next
Here’s a version with a few words changed to synonyms:
Hamas has cautioned that the ceasefire could break down following the series of Israeli targeted killings of its leaders over the past month, Middle East Eye reported. Negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire agreement remain deadlocked. The question of which body will govern Gaza after the conflict — a central sticking point — has yet to be resolved, with the technocratic committee intended for that role still blocked from entering the territory, according to Qassem. No date has been set for resumed talks, and no formal mediator statement on the path forward has been issued as of June 3.
