A mourner at Nasser Hospital reacts during the funeral of the Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday Jan. 21, 2026. (Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Israeli fire killed five Palestinians, including two boys, in central and southern Gaza, local health authorities said.
Palestinian medics said three people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed as a result of Israeli tank shelling east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Two others, a boy, 13, and a woman, were killed in two separate Israeli shootings in eastern Khan Younis in Gaza's south, they said.
Residents said the two incidents occurred in Palestinian-controlled areas. The cease-fire led to a partial Israeli military withdrawal, leaving Israeli forces holding about 53 percent of the enclave, but they have been gradually expanding their presence in recent weeks, leading to further displacement of Palestinian families, residents told Reuters.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the two incidents.
Trump plan stuck at first stage
The U.S.-brokered October deal has not progressed beyond the first-phase cease-fire, under which major fighting stopped, some Israeli forces pulled back, and Hamas freed hostages in return for Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.
Future phases of the deal would entail Hamas disarming, Israeli forces withdrawing further, and the setting up of an internationally-backed administration to oversee reconstruction.
As of yet, no timetable has been set to implement the plan.
Trump was due on Thursday to preside over a ceremony celebrating the "Board of Peace," a group he formed with the stated goal of redeveloping the coastal enclave.
Israel says it can only move into the second phase after Hamas hands over the remains of the last Israeli hostage, and meanwhile continues to block access to humanitarian aid via the border crossings into the Strip.
On Wednesday, Hamas Gaza spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the group had shared all information it had on the body of the last hostage and searched for it but in vain, blaming what it called Israeli military obstruction.
Israel has killed more than 460 Palestinians since the cease-fire took effect, while three Israeli soldiers are reported to have died in clashes.
Since launching its war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel has killed over 71,000 Palestinians and forcibly displaced over one million people.
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