Gaza ceasefire ‘exists in name only’ as over 1,400 Palestinians are killed in a year, rights groups warn

A ceasefire is an agreement to pause fighting between opposing parties. It is meant to reduce deaths, protect civilians, allow aid deliveries, and create space for families to recover. In Gaza, the agreement formed part of the wider “Gaza Peace Plan” and took effect in October 2025.

Article 3 required “all military operations” to be suspended. That specifically included aerial bombardment and artillery bombardment. It also required battle lines to remain frozen. These terms set a clear limit on military activity and were intended to stop the fighting from continuing under a different name.

The article reports that bombardments and attacks intensified after the agreement. Gaza’s Government Media Office recorded 5,147 alleged Israeli ceasefire violations by September 2026. This gap between the written terms and events on the ground is why Amnesty International said repeated violations risk making the ceasefire meaningless.

The article gives an estimated death toll of 74,386 casualties since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. It identifies 20,179 of those casualties as children. The wording “casualties” describes people killed or affected by deaths and injuries, but the article does not provide a separate total for injured people.

The reported ceasefire violations are another measure of the conflict’s scale. Gaza’s Government Media Office said that 5,147 Israeli ceasefire violations had occurred by September 2026. The reported incidents include bombardments, shelling, gunfire, and attacks affecting civilians and civilian places.

These figures show why aid groups reject the idea that the ceasefire has brought safety. The article says nearly one child has been killed every day since the ceasefire was announced. It also reports that violence, deprivation, and humanitarian hardship continued rather than easing after October 2025.

Since the agreement, the article describes continued attacks against civilians, including children. It reports destruction of housing and civilian infrastructure, while families remain in damaged buildings or tents. The humanitarian situation has not improved since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

The article gives several examples. Two Palestinian humanitarian aid workers delivering water were killed by Israeli fire in April 2026. In August, the UN raised alarm over civilian killings and injuries from Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire. Strikes also continued on active classrooms and school buildings, placing children at risk.

Aid has been constrained as food and medical supplies remain scarce. The groups cited restrictions on aid and a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel’s representative said 600 aid trucks had entered Gaza while preparations for winter continued. However, the Norwegian Refugee Council said families still faced unsafe buildings, tents, and unbearable temperatures.

A ceasefire matters because its purpose is to make people safer and give families a chance to recover. If civilians continue to die, homes remain dangerous, and aid cannot reach people reliably, the agreement has stopped functioning as meaningful protection. The article connects safety, humanitarian access, and rebuilding.

Save the Children CEO Inger Ashing said a ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families cannot rebuild their lives. She added that nearly one child has been killed every day since the ceasefire was announced. The Norwegian Refugee Council described families choosing between damaged buildings and tents facing unbearable temperatures.

The continuing violence also deepens deprivation. The article reports shortages of food and medical supplies, restrictions on aid, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Amnesty International and more than 100 organizations said “killing and deprivation” must not be normalized. Without compliance and accountability, the ceasefire risks becoming a label without practical protection.

The 2025 ceasefire was brokered by the US Board of Peace, led by President Trump. It formed part of the wider “Gaza Peace Plan.” The article identifies Israel as the party accused by Amnesty International and Gaza’s Government Media Office of persistent ceasefire violations.

The reported violations include bombardments and attacks after the agreement took effect. The Government Media Office recorded 5,147 alleged Israeli violations by September 2026. The article also describes Israeli fire killing two Palestinian aid workers, and reports continued airstrikes, shelling, gunfire, and strikes on schools.

Israel’s representative argued that Hamas’s disarmament must come first. He said Hamas had committed ceasefire violations and stressed that Gaza’s civilians were not Israel’s enemy. He also asserted that 600 aid trucks had entered Gaza as preparations for winter continued. These statements present Israel’s justification, while aid groups and rights organizations say the agreement’s terms are not being respected.

The Fourth Geneva Convention establishes protections for civilians and civilian objects during war. The article says targeted attacks on civilians and any civilian objects directly contravene the convention. These protections matter because people who are not participating in fighting, along with protected property, should not be treated as military targets.

The Rome Statute provides a criminal-law framework for grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. Article 8 identifies grave breaches, including attacks on civilians and protected property, as war crimes. In practical terms, an attack can become a war crime when it targets protected civilians or objects in violation of these rules.

The article links these legal standards to Gaza, where it reports attacks on civilians, homes, infrastructure, and schools. It also notes that Israel faces ongoing ICJ proceedings over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention. Whether particular incidents meet criminal-law standards requires investigation and legal judgment; the article reports allegations, not final findings on every attack.

The International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court serve different purposes. The ICJ addresses legal disputes between states and can issue orders concerning a state’s international obligations. The ICC investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of crimes such as war crimes against humanity, or genocide.

In this article, South Africa brought proceedings against Israel before the ICJ over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza. Amnesty International also urged governments to press Israel to comply with the ICJ’s binding orders. The ICJ case therefore concerns Israel’s responsibilities as a state, not the criminal guilt of a particular commander.

The article mentions Article 8 of the Rome Statute, which defines grave breaches as war crimes, but it does not describe an ICC prosecution or ruling connected to the reported attacks. The distinction matters: an ICJ process can assess state responsibility, while an ICC process would focus on individual criminal responsibility.