Two Palestinian brothers, aged 8 and 10, were killed in an Israeli drone strike near Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Saturday, according to family members and local authorities. The incident has reignited tensions amid a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Israel’s military stated it identified two individuals "posing an immediate threat" and conducting "suspicious activities" in the area of the Yellow Line—a boundary marked by concrete blocks where Israeli forces withdrew following the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. The boys’ uncles told AFP the children were searching for firewood when the strike occurred.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency, confirmed the deaths of Fadi and Jumaa Tamer Abu Assi in Bani Suheila. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received their bodies, with funerals held later that day. Since the ceasefire took effect in October, multiple fatal incidents have been reported near the Yellow Line, raising concerns about the agreement’s stability.
Analysts warn that such clashes risk undermining diplomatic efforts to sustain peace in the region. The international community continues to monitor developments closely as humanitarian organizations call for renewed dialogue to prevent further civilian casualties.
