Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have killed at least five Palestinians, according to medical sources and news agencies, compounding a severe hunger crisis fueled by restricted aid deliveries. The August 28, 2026 developments occur despite a United States-brokered ceasefire in place since October 2025, as new United Nations data reveals that nearly half of Gaza households are going to bed hungry.
Casualties Reported Across Multiple Strikes in Gaza and West Bank
An early Friday drone strike north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed three members of the Abdeen family, according to medical sources who transported the bodies to Nasser Medical Complex. In Gaza City, another drone strike killed a Palestinian man named Hassan al-Deiri and wounded several civilians in the Sabra neighbourhood, with casualties taken to al-Shifa Hospital, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. A third strike hit a tent for displaced people in the Mashahra area east of Gaza City, killing one person and injuring several others.
Outside of Gaza, the Israeli military launched a strike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, killing three Palestinians. The military identified one of the dead as Qais Bitawi, whom the army claimed, without evidence, to be a Hamas operative. Additionally, the military claimed without evidence that it killed two Palestinian commanders—one with Hamas and one with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)—in separate attacks on Gaza City on Thursday. Israeli forces also executed a wide-scale demolition operation throughout Friday in areas under their control southeast of Gaza City, according to on-the-ground reporters.
Food Insecurity Deepens Amid Severe Aid Restrictions
The latest violence coincides with deteriorating humanitarian conditions across the strip. New data released on Thursday by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) indicates that 46 percent of surveyed residents in Gaza reported going to bed hungry at least once over the previous 30 days. Furthermore, 7 percent went hungry more than 10 times during that timeframe, and half of households reported completely running out of food at least once.
The WFP August food security analysis further shows that 21 percent of households ate only one meal a day. About 38 percent reduced their daily meal counts, and 17 percent restricted adult food intake to prioritize children. Three-quarters of households faced difficulties accessing markets due to cash shortages and high food prices. Food access remains constrained by Israeli restrictions on goods entering the territory; WFP notes that the daily average of trucks crossing into Gaza since last year’s ceasefire stands at 217, falling far short of the 600 trucks per day agreed upon in the ceasefire arrangement.
Did You Know? The daily average of aid trucks entering Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire is 217, which remains well below the 600 trucks per day agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.
Implications and Humanitarian Outlook
The combination of ongoing military operations, wide-scale demolitions, and severe supply restrictions threatens to deepen the humanitarian emergency across the territory.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Palestinians were killed in the latest strikes?
Israeli attacks killed at least five Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, plus an additional three Palestinians in the West Bank city of Jenin.
What does the latest WFP data reveal about hunger in Gaza?
Data released by the United Nations World Food Programme shows that 46 percent of surveyed residents reported going to bed hungry at least once in the previous 30 days, with 21 percent eating only one meal a day.
How many aid trucks are currently entering Gaza?
The daily average of trucks crossing into Gaza since the ceasefire is 217, which is far below the 600 trucks per day agreed under the ceasefire agreement, according to the WFP.
How do you view the current humanitarian and security developments unfolding across the region?