Gaza City / Washington | October 22, 2025- Tensions in the Gaza Strip have escalated once again as Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire continued across multiple regions of the enclave on Tuesday — despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement intended to bring temporary calm after weeks of relentless violence.
At least dozens of Palestinians were reported killed in the latest strikes, many of them civilians, according to local health officials and humanitarian agencies operating in the territory.The renewed violence casts doubt on the durability of the ceasefire announced last week, which had been hailed by Washington as a “step toward de-escalation and humanitarian relief.”
The ceasefire, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, was supposed to allow a seven-day window for humanitarian access and prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas.
However, reports from the southern city of Khan Younis and the northern Jabalia camp indicate that airstrikes resumed less than 48 hours after the agreement took effect. Israeli officials claimed the attacks targeted “terror infrastructure,” while witnesses described widespread destruction of residential areas.
Hospitals, already overwhelmed from weeks of bombardment, struggled to treat the influx of casualties. Medical staff at Nasser Hospital reported operating without adequate fuel, clean water, or medical supplies.
“The ceasefire exists only on paper,” said one doctor in Khan Younis. “Every hour we receive new victims — mothers, children, entire families. There is no pause, no safety.
Despite the ceasefire terms, aid delivery remains dangerously limited. Fewer than 600 aid trucks have entered Gaza in the past week — less than a third of what humanitarian organisations estimate is needed daily.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the situation is approaching “irreversible collapse.” More than 1.8 million people have been displaced, with many living in overcrowded shelters without sanitation or power.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “immediate restraint” and urged both sides to honour the ceasefire, stating that “humanitarian pauses cannot succeed if bombs continue to fall.” The Biden administration (now under the transition oversight of the Trump government following policy continuity talks) faces growing criticism for failing to enforce the truce it helped negotiate.
A senior U.S. official defended Washington’s position, claiming the administration is “in active contact” with both Jerusalem and Doha to “prevent escalation.” However, global analysts note that Washington’s leverage over Israel appears limited, as the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) continue operations with the stated goal of “neutralising militant threats” inside Gaza.Meanwhile, protests have erupted across New York, London, and Paris, where demonstrators accused Western governments of complicity through silence.
Israel’s Military Stance
In a televised statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that the strikes were “measured responses” to continued rocket fire from Hamas militants.
“Israel will not tolerate threats to its sovereignty,” Netanyahu declared. “Our operations will continue until Gaza is no longer a launchpad for terror.”
The Israeli military said it intercepted several short-range rockets fired from Gaza overnight but offered no evidence linking the renewed bombardment to those incidents.
The Human Toll
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict reignited earlier this year, with nearly 70% identified as women and children.
Entire neighbourhoods in Rafah and Gaza City have been flattened, and satellite images show massive displacement toward the southern border with Egypt. Aid groups warn of “a total humanitarian implosion” unless sustained relief is allowed in.
“People are surviving on half a loaf of bread and contaminated water,” said a UN field officer. “This is no longer a crisis — it’s an engineered catastrophe.”
The continued Israeli strikes, in defiance of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, expose the fragility of modern diplomacy and the ineffectiveness of international pressure when confronted by military realities.As Washington tries to maintain strategic balance — supporting Israel while preventing regional escalation — the suffering in Gaza has once again become a grim reminder that ceasefires without accountability are only pauses before the next tragedy.
Until genuine restraint replaces rhetoric, peace in Gaza remains an illusion — a word repeated at summits but drowned out by the sound of bombs.
For continued coverage and on-ground updates from global conflict zones, visit www.whitehorsedaily.com
Leave a comment