Israeli strikes kill 3 in Gaza; UN envoy warns of ceasefire impact

Three more Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Friday following Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian authorities. The victims, identified by Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, were reportedly members of the same family. An Israeli military spokesperson stated the military was investigating the incident. The previous day, Israeli strikes had also resulted in three fatalities, with the military claiming those targeted were Hamas members involved in plotting attacks. Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced in October, Israel has continued its strikes in Gaza, asserting its need to eliminate threats from Hamas. However, these actions are jeopardizing the fragile peace. Nickolay Mladenov, the UN's high representative for Gaza, warned the UN Security Council that such uses of force, especially when not directly related to immediate threats or deconfliction mechanisms, inflict significant damage on the peace process. Adding to the tensions, Israel has issued warnings against kite-flying from Gaza into Israeli territory. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that any kite launch would be treated as an act of terrorism, indicating a zero-tolerance policy that could further escalate the conflict.

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Every use of force that does not answer an immediate threat, and every incident that the deconfliction mechanism was not asked to resolve, costs this process something very hard to buy back.