Israeli Drone Strike and West Bank Settler Attack Leave Two Palestinians Dead Amid Ongoing Conflict

Palestinians gathered on Wednesday for a mass funeral honoring more than 100 individuals whose bodies were recovered from the ruins of a Gaza residential building destroyed by an Israeli strike in 2023. Meanwhile, a fresh Israeli drone strike resulted in the death of a Palestinian man and left several others injured in southern Gaza, while armed settlers shot and killed another Palestinian man near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Medical personnel at Nasser Medical Complex confirmed that the body of 42-year-old Tamer al-Hamayda, along with three wounded individuals, arrived at the hospital on Thursday. The casualties occurred after a strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area, situated west of Khan Younis on the southern coast of the Gaza Strip. Additionally, another Palestinian succumbed to injuries from an earlier Israeli drone strike on Tuesday that targeted a gathering in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Israeli forces also conducted a large-scale demolition operation targeting structures east of Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighbourhood. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, eight new deaths and 26 injuries were recorded over a 24-hour period, bringing the total casualties since the October 2025 ceasefire to 1,439 killed and 5,052 wounded, alongside 834 bodies recovered from the rubble. The ministry noted that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 74,040 Palestinian deaths and 175,168 injuries since October 2023.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian man and injured another during a raid on the village of Yasuf, located north of Ramallah. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the victim as 51-year-old Mashhour Yassin.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack, stating that Israeli forces detained an ambulance, confiscated its keys, and discarded them in an action that highlights coordination between settlers and occupation forces. The ministry asserted that the killing is part of a severe escalation in organized settler violence supported by state policies aimed at annexation, forced displacement, and ethnic cleansing.

Yasuf Mayor Jumaa Abdel Fattah explained to the AFP news agency that dozens of Israeli settlers armed with sticks and firearms targeted village homes situated between four Israeli settlements. Abdel Fattah stated that Yassin was standing at his doorstep defending his home when he was killed, and noted that Yassin's nephew sustained injuries in the assault. According to the mayor, the attackers originated from Havat Anton, an illegal Israeli settlement established in July that has previously targeted local residents.

Palestinians across the occupied West Bank have documented a significant rise in settler attacks in recent months. More than 500,000 Israelis currently reside in West Bank settlements, which are deemed illegal under international law. United Nations data indicates that at least 1,112 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since October 2023, with at least 37 of those deaths attributed to settlers.