Overview
- Israeli tank and air strikes on Feb. 4–5 killed between 20 and 24 people across Gaza, including several children and an on-duty paramedic, according to health officials and hospitals.
- The Israeli military said it launched the strikes after militants opened fire near the “yellow line,” seriously wounding a reservist, and called the incident a breach of the ceasefire.
- The Palestine Red Crescent reported that patient evacuations through Rafah were suspended on Wednesday, while COGAT said the crossing remained open but required WHO coordination; limited transfers later resumed for a small group.
- Movement through Rafah has been minimal since its partial reopening, with only a handful of medical evacuations and small batches of returnees, and travelers describing blindfolding, handcuffing and interrogations during Israeli screening.
- Unrest also continued in the West Bank, where Palestinian officials said Israeli forces killed a 24-year-old man in Jericho, as Gaza authorities report more than 550 Palestinians killed since the October truce took effect.