Discretion advised: This story involves details of an active conflict and civilian casualties.
An Israeli strike killed at least six people in Gaza City on Tuesday, August 18, as a US-backed agreement aimed at ending hostilities in the enclave remains stalled, according to Al Jazeera. Officials at al-Shifa Hospital said they had received several bodies following the attack, while 14 others were injured when the strike hit a crowded café at the city's port — an area that has been converted into a displacement camp for Palestinians who have lost their homes.
Part of a Continuing Pattern Since the Ceasefire
Tuesday's strike is the latest in a string of near-daily Israeli attacks that have continued despite a US-brokered ceasefire reached roughly ten months ago. Gaza's civil defense agency reported a similar attack just weeks earlier, in which Israeli air and drone strikes killed at least six Palestinians and wounded more than 20 others across Khan Yunis, al-Mawasi, and Gaza City in a single day. Since the October ceasefire took effect, Gaza health officials have reported more than 1,150 Palestinian deaths, the majority of them civilians, from continued Israeli strikes — even as the truce formally halted the larger-scale phase of the war.
In one especially widely reported incident in July, an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood killed an entire family of six — a father, mother, and their four children — after their home was set ablaze. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying its target was a Hamas operative, and said it was still reviewing the results of the attack.
Israel's Position on the Strikes
Israel maintains that its ongoing strikes target militants rather than civilians, and has reported killing several fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in strikes since the ceasefire began, including individuals it says participated in the October 7, 2023, attack and held Israeli hostages. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza during the same period, according to Israeli figures.
Netanyahu Rejecting the US-Backed Peace Plan
Tuesday's attack came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to reject the United States-backed plan aimed at formally ending hostilities in Gaza. Mediators including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States have been working to advance President Trump's proposal, which calls for Hamas's disarmament alongside Israeli troop withdrawals from the territory — but there has been little sign of meaningful progress in those efforts, with talks repeatedly stalling.
The Broader Toll
According to Gaza health officials, the overall death toll from Israel's offensive since it began in October 2023 now exceeds 73,000 Palestinians, with more than 173,000 others injured. The war originated when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The conflict has destroyed close to 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure, and nearly all of the territory's roughly 2 million residents now live in a small coastal strip, largely in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, facing dire humanitarian conditions.
What's Next
With the ceasefire's underlying agreement still unresolved and near-daily strikes continuing to claim civilian lives, the path toward a durable end to the conflict remains unclear. Mediators are expected to continue pushing for progress on the disarmament and withdrawal framework, though the current stalemate shows no clear signs of breaking. For continuing coverage, see Al Jazeera's report.