Israel guns down Gazan, day after killing 2 UNICEF contractors

Israeli attacks in central and northern Gaza Sunday killed one Palestinian, while seriously injuring another, according to local medical sources.

The killing took place in northern Gaza’s Jabalia when Israeli military vehicles opened fire toward tents of displaced people at Halawa camp, the sources told Turkish Anadolu Agency (AA).

Meanwhile, a 16-year-old male was also seriously injured and taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after being targeted by an Israeli quadcopter drone in the al-Tahlia area of Deir al-Balah, in the central part of the strip.

The casualties were the latest in ongoing Israeli violations of the cease-fire agreement in effect in the Palestinian enclave since October 2025.

Israeli army vehicles and helicopters also opened fire toward areas east of the central governorate, local sources also told AA.

In the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli artillery shelled areas east of the city of Khan Younis, coinciding with heavy gunfire from vehicles and helicopters, while naval vessels targeted the city’s coastline with shells and machine gun fire.

Earlier Saturday, UNICEF confirmed that two of its civilian contractors delivering water were shot dead by Israeli troops in northern Gaza.

“UNICEF is outraged by the killing of two drivers of trucks contracted by UNICEF to provide clean water to families in the Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military claimed troops saw “two armed … in the area of the Yellow Line” – which marks the boundary of the area under Israeli control – approaching, so they “opened fire.”

The army said the incident was “under review.”

UNICEF said the incident took place at the Mansoura water filling point in northern Gaza, which is “the only operational truck filling point for the Mekorot water supply line serving Gaza City.”

“The incident, in which two other people were injured, occurred during routine water trucking operations, with no changes in movement or procedures,” it said, adding that the point was used “multiple times a day” by UNICEF and its humanitarian partners.

Following the incident, all activities at the filling point had been suspended, it said, urging the Israeli authorities to “immediately investigate” the incident and ensure those responsible are held accountable.

“Humanitarian workers, essential service providers and civilian infrastructure, including critical water facilities, must never be targeted.”

The protection of civilians and those delivering life-saving assistance is an obligation under international humanitarian law,” UNICEF said.

Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday reported an overall death toll of 72,549 since Israel launched its genocidal war on Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas incursion.

That number includes 773 Palestinians killed since the Gaza cease-fire came into effect on Oct. 10.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel has committed over 2,400 violations of the cease-fire agreement, including killings, arrests, the ongoing siege, and starvation.

The Israeli military says five of its soldiers were also killed in Gaza during the same period.

DAILYSABAH