Israel fires mortar into Gaza residential area, wounding at least 10
[December 18, 2025]
By JULIA FRANKEL
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops fired a mortar shell over the ceasefire
line into a Palestinian residential area in the Gaza Strip, in the
latest incident to rock the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas. Health
officials said at least 10 people were wounded, and the army said it was
investigating.
The military said the mortar was fired during an operation in the area
of the “Yellow Line,” which was drawn in the ceasefire agreement and
divides the Israeli-held majority of Gaza from the rest of the
territory.
The military did not say what troops were doing or whether they had
crossed the line. It said the mortar had veered from its intended
target, which it did not specify.
Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Hospital, said the hospital received 10
people wounded in the strike on central Gaza City, some critically.
It was not the first time since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10
that Israeli fire has caused Palestinian casualties outside the Yellow
Line. Palestinian health officials have reported over 370 deaths from
Israeli fire since the truce.
Israel has said it has opened fire in response to Hamas violations, and
says most of those killed have been Hamas militants. But an Israeli
military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with
military protocol, said the army is aware of a number of incidents where
civilians were killed, including young children and a family traveling
in a van.
Palestinians say civilians have been killed in some cases because the
line is poorly marked. Israeli troops have been laying down yellow
blocks to delineate it, but in some areas the blocks have not yet been
placed.
Ceasefire's next phase
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire is struggling to reach its next phase, with
both sides accusing each other of violations. The first phase involved
the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The second is
supposed to involve the deployment of an international stabilization
force, a technocratic governing body for Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas
and further Israeli troop withdrawals from the territory.
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Palestinians walk along a street past a tent camp, backdropped by
buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza
City, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The remains of one hostage, Ran Gvili, are still in Gaza, and the
militants appear to be struggling to find it. Israel is demanding
the return of Gvili's remains before moving to the second phase.
Hamas is calling for more international pressure on Israel to open
key border crossings, cease deadly strikes and allow more aid into
the strip. Recently released Israeli military figures suggest it
hasn’t met the ceasefire stipulation of allowing 600 trucks of aid
into Gaza a day, though Israel disputes that finding.
Humanitarian groups say the lack of aid has had harsh effects on
most of Gaza’s residents. Food remains scarce as the territory
struggles to bounce back from famine, which affected parts of Gaza
during the war.
The toll of war
The vast majority of Gaza’s 2 million people have been displaced.
Most live in vast tent camps or among the shells of damaged
buildings.
The initial Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel killed
around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Almost all hostages or
their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel’s two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,660
Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to
the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between
militants and civilians in its count. The ministry, which operates
under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals
and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the
international community.
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