Israeli strikes continue in devastated Gaza, killing 3
Published: 05:03 PM,Mar 28,2026 | EDITED : 08:03 PM,Mar 28,2026
GAZA: The Israeli military killed three Palestinian men in Gaza on Saturday in two separate air strikes, local health officials and medics said, the latest round of deadly violence despite a US-brokered ceasefire that is now more than five months old. Palestinian health officials said one man was killed in an air strike on a car in the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza, while medics said two adult brothers were killed in Shujiaya, a neighbourhood east of Gaza City.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the two air strikes. The military has killed more than 680 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire with Hamas came into effect in November, local health officials say. More than 72,000 have been killed since the war started in October 2023.
The Hamas-affiliated Shehab News Agency said the brothers were killed in an air strike by the Israeli military after an Israeli-backed Palestinian group in Gaza had tried to abduct them. Neither Hamas nor any other militant group has identified the brothers as members. Witnesses said the two brothers, armed with guns, clashed with the militia and that they were later targeted by drones. The witnesses also reported Israeli tanks opening fire. Violence in Gaza has persisted despite the ceasefire and amid Israel's war with Iran. Health officials in the territory say at least 40 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the Iran conflict began a month ago.
Hamas would be required to allow the destruction of its vast Gaza tunnel network as it lays down its arms in stages over eight months under a disarmament plan presented to the militants by US President Donald Trump's 'Board of Peace'. The plan follows a timeline that begins with a US-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats taking security control of Gaza and concludes with Israeli forces withdrawing completely upon 'verification that Gaza is free of weaponry'.
Hamas' disarmament is a critical sticking point in talks to implement Trump's plan for Gaza and cement an October ceasefire that halted two years of full-blown war. Hamas has long rejected calls to lay down its weapons, which are believed to have largely been transported and stored in tunnels under Gaza. Israel says it will not agree to withdraw from Gaza unless Hamas is fully disarmed first.
A Hamas official confirmed its authenticity. The Board of Peace presented the plan to Hamas last week. Hamas has not commented publicly on it; a Hamas official said the group was studying it. On Thursday, three other Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, issued statements criticising the plan, saying it unfairly prioritised disarmament over issues such as reconstruction and Israeli withdrawal.
The plan includes two components: a 12-point document titled 'Steps to Complete the Implementation of Trump's Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza,' and a five-stage timeline during which Hamas would surrender its arms over eight months. The first component says that all armed factions in Gaza will participate in a disarmament process that will be overseen by the Palestinian technocrats, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
'Gaza will be governed under the principle of one authority, one law, one weapon, whereby only individuals authorised by (NCAG) may possess weapons, and all armed factions will cease military activities,' the document says. The disarmament process will be 'verified by the Weapons Collection Verification Committee,' a body that will be set up by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's lead envoy, the document says. Reconstruction will only be allowed in areas that are designated as demilitarised, it says. — Reuters