"What do you call a ceasefire when the firing has not ceased? The killings in Gaza decreased when the truce was announced last October, but they did not end. Israel’s strike on Thursday morning on one of the few remaining functioning hospitals, which killed six people and wounded 28 more, was the first on a healthcare facility since then. But it was not an anomaly. About four Palestinians a day have died on average since the ceasefire was declared."

Heavy rainfall has flooded tents housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza.

Photograph: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images

 

Opinion 

Gaza

The Guardian view on Gaza’s misery: don’t let Palestinian deaths mount in this bleak winter

Editorial

The formation of a new Israeli government won’t stop the killing, but sustained international pressure must be applied

Thu 12 Nov 2026 13.54 EST

Last modified on Thu 12 Nov 2026 14.07 EST

What do you call a ceasefire when the firing has not ceased? The killings in Gaza decreased when the truce was announced last October, but they did not end. Israel’s strike on Thursday morning on one of the few remaining functioning hospitals, which killed six people and wounded 28 more, was the first on a healthcare facility since then. But it was not an anomaly. About four Palestinians a day have died on average since the ceasefire was declared.

The Israeli military said that it had struck a Hamas commander and other fighters in the attack on Nasser hospital, without providing evidence. Its record does not inspire confidence in the accuracy of its account. Multiple UN experts and health campaigners have warned of the deliberate targeting of medical facilities and healthcare workers. Israeli military personnel have also described the shockingly high level of civilian deaths tolerated as “collateral damage” in targeting even low-level fighters after the brutal Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

Many more Palestinians are dying because of the war. With more than four-fifths of Gaza’s buildings destroyed, storms and the cold are proving deadly, killing at least four children and a woman last weekend. The UN says that 940,000 people are in makeshift shelters in areas at risk of flooding. Sewage is spewing into tents. In desperation, families are risking a return to ruined homes – with some dying in building collapses.

Reconstruction is the real need, but even the absolute basics are lacking: the UN says Israel is blocking 150,000 tents that are ready for use, along with other sorely needed goods, including sanitation equipment and nutrient-dense peanut butter. As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility under international law to meet the needs of Gaza’s people. Allowing in the aid they desperately need should be the absolute minimum expected of it.... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/12/the-guardian-view-on-gazas-misery-dont-let-palestinian-deaths-mount-in-this-bleak-winter 

   [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]