Tensions over the future of the Gaza ceasefire are rising as Palestinian authorities accuse Israel of widespread violations and several countries hesitate to join a proposed international security force, even as the humanitarian situation deteriorates and casualty figures continue to climb.
A Palestinian official told Agence France-Presse that members of the Palestinian police are currently receiving training in Egypt in preparation for deployment in Gaza once hostilities fully cease. Egypt announced in August that it was training around 5,000 Palestinian officers and security personnel as part of a wider plan to support post-conflict stabilisation in the territory.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry said the death toll from Israel’s offensive since October 2023 has reached 70,103, with 170,985 people injured. It reported three deaths and two injuries in the past 24 hours. Since the ceasefire took effect in October 2024, the ministry said 356 Palestinians have been killed and 908 wounded, while 607 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
In Washington, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. plan to deploy an international force to Gaza, central to President Donald Trump’s post-war framework, is facing a major setback, as several countries that initially expressed willingness are now reluctant to send troops. Many fear that their soldiers could be drawn into confrontations with Palestinians, complicating U.S. efforts to stabilise the enclave.
In Gaza, the government media office said the ceasefire has been violated 591 times in the past 50 days, resulting in 357 civilian deaths—mostly women, children and the elderly—and 903 injuries, along with 38 detentions during Israeli incursions. It said violations included live fire on residential areas and displacement camps, 25 ground incursions beyond the designated buffer zone, artillery and airstrikes, and the demolition of 118 homes and civilian structures. The office warned that continued violations “risk collapsing the ceasefire” and urged the U.S. and other guarantors to press Israel to abide by the agreement.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the ceasefire arrangement as “one-sided,” saying Israeli violations had already caused 352 Palestinian deaths since the truce began on 10 October. He said these actions were undermining the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, while rights groups had warned that “genocidal acts” had not ceased.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called for full adherence to the ceasefire and urged swift movement to the second phase, which includes reconstruction. In a meeting in Amman with Japan’s special envoy for Gaza’s recovery, he stressed the urgent need for unrestricted humanitarian access to the enclave and said long-term stability requires a political horizon leading to a two-state solution.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it killed four Hamas fighters in an underground area east of Rafah after spotting them emerging from a tunnel. It said the strike was carried out with air support and that its forces in southern Gaza remain deployed “in accordance with the ceasefire terms,” insisting it will continue to target “any direct threat.”
Separately, European Commissioner for Equality and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said Israel denied her request to enter Gaza during her visit to Egypt. She said 347 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire began, including 67 children, describing the territory as “a graveyard for thousands of civilians.” She added that nearly 600 aid workers had been killed while trying to deliver relief and warned of a “catastrophic winter” for families living amid the ruins, reiterating calls to open all crossings and significantly increase humanitarian flows.
