520 Dead AFTER Ceasefire—Was It All Fake?

A Trump-backed ceasefire in Gaza is unraveling as Israeli strikes killed 20 Palestinians in a single day—including two infants and a paramedic—exposing the fragility of peace efforts while Hamas militants continue provoking deadly responses.

Story Snapshot

Israeli strikes killed at least 20 Palestinians on February 4, 2026, after militants wounded an IDF soldier, marking a major escalation despite an October 2025 US-brokered ceasefire.
Victims included two infants (10 days and 5 months old), a 12-year-old boy, and a Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic killed while evacuating wounded civilians.
Over 520 Palestinians have died from Israeli fire since the Trump administration’s ceasefire began in October 2025, averaging 4.5 deaths daily in what mediators call a “frozen conflict.”
The IDF justified strikes as responses to Hamas ceasefire violations, while Palestinian hospital directors questioned whether any truce exists amid ongoing attacks.

Ceasefire Collapses Under Renewed Violence

Israeli Defense Forces launched strikes across Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and al-Mawasi on February 4, 2026, following reports that militants shot and seriously wounded an IDF reservist in the Tuffah neighborhood. The retaliatory assault killed at least 20 Palestinians, including infants aged 10 days and 5 months, along with their grandmother, marking the deadliest single-day incident since the Trump-backed ceasefire took effect October 10, 2025. IDF tanks and aircraft targeted multiple neighborhoods, with one strike wiping out 11 members of a single family in Tuffah.

Paramedic Killed Amid Civilian Toll

Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic Hussein Hassan Hussein al-Semieri died when Israeli forces struck a tent in al-Mawasi while he evacuated wounded civilians, highlighting the dangers facing humanitarian workers. Additional strikes killed a husband and wife in Zaytoun, a 12-year-old boy in Khan Yunis, and wounded five others in separate incidents throughout the day. Israel briefly suspended medical evacuations at the Rafah crossing before resuming operations later, complicating emergency care in a region where Gaza’s infrastructure remains nearly completely destroyed. Hospitals like Shifa and Nasser received the bodies as directors publicly questioned the ceasefire’s existence.

Trump Peace Plan Faces Serious Test

The February 4 escalation threatens the fragile ceasefire negotiated under President Trump’s peace plan, which halted full-scale combat after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 hostages. Since the October 2025 truce, over 520 Palestinians and 3-4 Israeli soldiers have died in near-daily clashes, contrasting sharply with the prior war’s average of 92 Palestinian deaths daily. Netanyahu’s government maintains its focus on disarming Hamas, with IDF officials stating strikes will continue in response to what they characterize as blatant ceasefire violations by militants crossing designated security zones or firing on troops.

Hamas Provocations Undermine Stability

Hamas militants’ continued attacks on Israeli forces directly violate the ceasefire terms that allowed the Rafah-Egypt crossing to reopen and enabled the return of hostage remains. The IDF routinely fires on individuals crossing the “yellow line” security perimeter, identifying them as terrorists, while Palestinians report civilian casualties in these incidents. On January 30, 2026, Israeli forces bombed a Rafah tunnel site after arresting a Hamas commander, killing 32 people in what IDF described as targeting weapons infrastructure. These provocations justify Israel’s defensive posture, though the cycle perpetuates violence that undermines Trump administration efforts to establish lasting peace and reconstruct Gaza’s devastated communities.

The total death toll since October 2023 exceeds 71,800 Palestinians according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, figures the UN and international experts deem generally reliable despite Israel disputing them without providing alternative civilian casualty counts. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its reporting, creating uncertainty about the proportion of militant versus innocent deaths. Aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders have ceased operations in Gaza, citing the impossibility of safely delivering humanitarian services. The ongoing violence demonstrates how terrorist organizations like Hamas use civilian populations as shields while provoking responses that test international patience with ceasefires they systematically violate.