Israeli airstrike on Sheikh Radwan police station in Gaza City. Photo: AFP.
By Youssef Fares – Feb 3, 2026
As has become routine, the Israeli occupation army cited what it described as an attempted exit by besieged resistance fighters from tunnels in Rafah beyond the so-called “yellow line” to launch a new wave of escalation. Within hours, dozens of Israeli airstrikes targeted displacement tents, shelters, and residential apartments, killing around 30 Palestinians and wounding dozens more.
The latest assault adds to a toll nearing 500 Palestinians killed in similar violations since the ceasefire took effect 113 days ago, on 10 October last year. The escalation coincided with the announcement of the reopening of the Rafah land crossing, expected to facilitate the entry of a technocratic committee into Gaza as part of the second phase of Trump’s “peace plan”. The timing reinforced a familiar Israeli approach: asserting unrestricted military force at every critical juncture, unconstrained by agreements or phased arrangements.
The air campaign began shortly after midnight on Friday with strikes on displacement tents in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, killing 7 members of the Abu Hadayed family. At dawn, warplanes hit an apartment belonging to Al-Atbash family near the Haidar intersection in Gaza City, killing 5 people. The deadliest attack targeted the partially destroyed Sheikh Radwan police station in north-western Gaza City, located in a densely populated area near a major Egyptian committee camp. The strike killed 16 people, including civilians and police personnel, as officers were carrying out routine duties amid heavy foot traffic. Additional attacks killed 3 Palestinians in Al-Nasr neighborhood following an airstrike on the Rizq family apartment, and 2 others in an airstrike on a civilian gathering in Jabalia al-Balad. Meanwhile, Israeli military vehicles positioned along the “yellow line” continued firing live ammunition and shells into areas crowded with displaced civilians.
The escalation drew regional reactions, with 8 Arab and Islamic countries issuing a joint statement condemning Israeli violations of the ceasefire and warning that continued breaches threaten the political process in Gaza and efforts to move toward a more stable phase. Observers note that the repeated attacks, which resulted in high civilian casualties without targeting any significant military or organizational objectives, point to an attempt to bypass agreed frameworks and impose a normalized security reality in which daily violations pass without accountability. Israeli officials, for their part, continue to argue that Hamas exploits the gray areas between phases to rebuild its organizational, military, and financial capacities.
Israel Expands Yellow Line, Controls Nearly 60% of the Gaza Strip
Within Israel, the reopening of the Rafah crossing has sparked criticism. Channel 13 political analyst Zvi Yehezkeli described the move as “not good news for Israel,” arguing that any step contributing to Gaza’s reconstruction effectively aids Hamas’ rehabilitation. He said Israel could only hope Gazan civilians would be able to leave the Strip, while expressing doubt given Egypt’s long-standing restrictions on departures. Yehezkeli also warned that Rafah would likely be used to bring in goods, manpower, technology, and funds that would strengthen Hamas, noting that a Gaza administration committee was already prepared. Drawing a parallel with the Oslo period, he described a familiar scene of “hotels, smiles, lots of money,” and what he called “a great deal of Israeli naivety,” concluding that “whoever does not accept our very existence will not create a new reality in Gaza.” He finally referenced what a senior Hamas official once said, “Gaza is Gaza.”
Against this backdrop, Israeli media have increasingly discussed what they describe as an Israeli effort to entrench instability, undermining international attempts to advance the Trump plan. Analysts argue that any genuine progress in reconstruction would weaken ambitions of forced displacement and depopulation. Recurrent escalations are therefore seen as attempts to instill a sense among Gaza’s residents that the territory offers no future, leaving departure as the only option.
At the core of Israel’s Gaza policy lies a set of fixed parameters, foremost linking reconstruction and withdrawal to the dismantling of the resistance’s weapons and the elimination of Hamas. Tel Aviv views the “yellow line” as a strategic security asset and a forward defensive barrier for settlements bordering Gaza, one it will not abandon unless all threats, even long-term ones, are eliminated. As resistance factions continue to insist on retaining their arms, the current low-intensity confrontation appears likely to persist for years.
