A few days after the ceasefire, Israel started again to attack by air, shooting at civilians 88 times, conducting 124 bombings of Gaza and killing 242 Palestinians, while over 600 civilians were severely injured. Furthermore, 23 Palestinians from Gaza were detained over the past month, as reported by the Government Media Office, in Gaza. 

Not only did Israel violate the declaration by continuing the hostilities in Gaza, but it also continued to block vital humanitarian aid.On October 29, Israel killed 109 people, including 52 children, after an exchange of gunfire in Rafah that killed one Israeli soldier. Israel justified its action, stating that, on October 19, Hamas had killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah. However, Hamas stressed that the Rafah area is controlled by Israel, so not having any contact with Palestinian fighters there.

Although full aid was supposed to be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip, reality appears to have remained very different until November 12th, when Israel reopened Zikim crossing in northern Gaza for aid trucks.

While the transgression does constitute a breach, it may not be conceived as a violation of International Law unless the ceasefire was part of a binding treaty or United Nations Security Council resolution. Therefore, according to the Lieber Institute, the whole situation remains ambiguous in the context of International Law.

by Ylenia Bobbo