One Month Into Ceasefire, Israel Continues 'Silent Genocide' in Gaza

A month after Hamas and Israeli officials signed off on a ceasefire deal, a leading human rights group warned that Israel is maintaining conditions in Gaza that "prevent any recovery from over 25 months of humanitarian catastrophe," while the international community is largely silent about the continued killing and destruction in the exclave.

Despite the ceasefire deal that was brokered by the Trump administration, an average of eight Palestinians are still being killed per day as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to wage "aerial and artillery bombardment, gunfire, and the ongoing destruction of homes and buildings, particularly in the eastern areas of Khan Younis and Gaza City," according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.

The Government Media Office in Gaza reported Tuesday that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement at least 282 times, as it's claimed that Hamas has done the same by killing Israeli soldiers and failing to return the body of one of the captives who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

President Donald Trump has defended the IDF's attacks in some cases, saying an attack on October 29 that killed 109 Palestinian people, including 52 children, was "retribution" for the killing of an Israeli soldier.

With the president's tacit approval of attacks that it considers "retribution" and his insistence that the ceasefire holds, Israel has killed 242 Palestinians since the ceasefire began on October 10, including 85 children. About 619 people have been injured.

Despite the first phase of the 20-point peace plan put forward by Trump stipulating an end to all hostilities by Hamas and Israel, said the Euro-Med Monitor, "Israel continues to commit genocide against Palestinian civilians through various means."

In addition to continuing its military bombardment, Israel has not obeyed another requirement of the first phase of the deal: lifting the blockade that began in October 2023 and that has killed nearly 500 Palestinians so far.

"Israel continues to administer a deliberate policy of starvation in the Gaza Strip, having blocked the entry of approximately 70% of the aid required under the agreement," said Euro-Med Monitor. "It also controls the type of goods allowed in, systematically restricting essential food items such as meat and dairy products while flooding the markets with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor products."

Gaza's population of about 2 million people remains "in a state of controlled, chronic hunger," said the group. Child malnutrition rates remain 20% from last year despite the ceasefire.

The group released an infographic on Tuesday, detailing the devastation that continues in Gaza as Israel persists in committing a "silent genocide"—now without the sustained pressure of the international community for the attacks to stop.

The graphic notes that since Israel began its attacks:

• Nine out of every 10 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza were civilians;
• 100% of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed;
• 45,600 children have been orphaned;
• 12% of all Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, injured, detained, or are missing.
• 40,000 people now have permanent or long-term disabilities, including 21,000 children;
• 100% of the population faces acute food insecurity; and
• 100% of the population has suffered psychological trauma.

The Euro-Med Monitor also warned that Israel is continuing to block movement in both directions at the Rafah crossing, restricting civilians who are sick or wounded from getting medical care.

"These actions are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic pattern indicating a clear policy by the Israeli political and military leadership to use the ceasefire as a cover to continue genocide against Gaza’s residents," said the group. "By maintaining a disguised military assault and perpetuating killing, starvation, and systematic destruction, Israel exploits the absence of international will to protect civilians and hold perpetrators accountable."

A "grave development" included in Euro-Med Monitor's report is "the dismantling of the Gaza Strip’s geographical unity, turning it into an isolated and uninhabitable area."

Ramy Abdul, chairman of the organization, posted a video on social media of an Israeli soldier "proudly documenting" his army unit's use of excavators, "flattening what's left of northern Gaza" behind the "yellow line" to which Israeli troops were required to withdraw under the ceasefire deal.

"The continued silence of the international community and the failure to activate accountability mechanisms provide Israel with practical cover to continue committing genocide, albeit at a slower pace, as part of a consistent policy aimed at eliminating the Palestinian presence in the Gaza Strip," said Euro-Med Monitor.

The group's analysis came as Politico reported that Trump administration officials have begun privately expressing concerns that the peace deal could break down due to an inability to implement core provisions, such as deploying an "International Stabilization Force" that would officially be tasked with peacekeeping in Gaza.

"The administration took its victory lap after the initial ceasefire and hostage release, but all the hard work, the real hard work, remains," David Schenker, former assistant secretary of state for the Middle East, told Politico.

Countries including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Jordan, and Azerbaijan have said they will not commit to contributing forces, with the latter declining to attend a recent planning meeting and saying it would not participate until a full ceasefire is in place.