The United Nations human rights office has denounced what it describes as a recent intensification of Israeli military attacks across the Gaza Strip, reporting that at least 57 Palestinians were killed between 13 and 20 July. According to the office’s spokesman in Geneva, strikes hit residential buildings, at least one tent sheltering internally displaced people, and other densely populated areas. The condemnation comes nine months after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in October 2025, a truce that has failed to halt the violence. The UN said 34 of the victims were killed far from the Israeli-imposed “yellow line” that demarcates territory under Israeli military control.

Viewed from Tel Aviv, the Israeli military has presented the recent operations as targeted strikes against members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israeli military sources stated that those targeted were involved in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel or in the holding of hostages. The army also reported hitting a weapons depot, an arms manufacturing site, and a rocket-launching position, arguing that the infrastructure posed a direct threat to its forces. Israeli officials have not publicly addressed the specific civilian casualties documented by the UN, but have maintained that their operations comply with international law.

The UN rights office warned that the killing of civilians in these attacks raises concerns of continuing violations of international humanitarian law, including possible war crimes. Spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan stressed that deliberately attacking civilians is a war crime under international law. The office also highlighted the constant westward shifting of the yellow line, which it said leaves the Palestinian population trapped in an ever-shrinking area and exposes them to routine fire from Israeli forces for mere proximity to the boundary. Since the ceasefire began, Gaza’s health ministry has recorded over 1,100 Palestinian fatalities, while the UN has verified 685 deaths between October 2025 and mid-April 2026, including 283 women and children.

Palestinian officials in Gaza report that the total death toll since the start of the Israeli military campaign in October 2023 has surpassed 73,000, with about 90 percent of civilian infrastructure damaged or destroyed. The UN has called on third states to act urgently to demand respect for the ceasefire, an end to violations, and accountability for those responsible. The dossier remains open, with the UN continuing to verify casualties and document alleged breaches, while diplomatic efforts to reinforce the truce have yet to yield a visible reduction in hostilities.