Drone strike in Gaza kills three as minister pushes removal plan

Israeli forces carried out a drone strike in the Gaza Strip that resulted in three fatalities and multiple injuries, Al Jazeera reported. The attack, which occurred despite the Israeli military’s claim of a temporary ceasefire, was accompanied by ground gunfire that hit civilians in different neighbourhoods of the enclave.

The lethal incident coincided with statements from Israel’s far‑right minister of national security, Itamar Ben‑Gvir, who has been publicly advocating for the forced removal of Palestinians from certain areas of the West Bank. Ben‑Gvir’s proposal, outlined in a recent interview, calls for a large‑scale relocation programme that he says is necessary for Israel’s security, a move that human‑rights groups have condemned as a breach of international law.

Al Jazeera noted that the Israeli defence ministry described the strike as a response to “hostile activity” emanating from Gaza, while simultaneously asserting that a ceasefire remains in effect. The ministry’s spokesperson said the operation targeted militants, but the civilian toll has raised questions about the ceasefire’s credibility and the rules of engagement governing aerial attacks in densely populated zones.

The latest violence occurs against the backdrop of a protracted conflict that erupted after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in 2023, which triggered a full‑scale Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Over the past two years, intermittent truces have been brokered by Egypt and Qatar, yet each pause has been fragile, often collapsing under renewed rocket fire or Israeli retaliatory strikes. Ben‑Gvir’s removal plan taps into a broader trend among some Israeli politicians to reshape the demographic landscape of the occupied territories, a policy that dates back to proposals made during the 2000s but has rarely been formalised.

The international community has expressed alarm at both the civilian casualties and the proposed relocations. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that any forced displacement could exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation, with over two million people in Gaza dependent on aid. Meanwhile, diplomatic channels are reportedly being used to pressure Israel to adhere to ceasefire terms and to halt any plans that would contravene international humanitarian law.