Two Palestinians were killed and several others were injured by an Israeli drone attack near Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday, according to a report from the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The attack targeted a group of Palestinians in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis, who were reportedly inspecting their homes in the area.
According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli military claimed that it targeted a group of Palestinians who crossed the “yellow line,” referring to the line that IDF troops withdrew to under the ceasefire deal. The IDF claimed the group “posed a threat” but did not allege they were armed.
Since the truce went into effect, the IDF has killed dozens of Palestinians who allegedly crossed the line, including seven young children who were targeted in a vehicle with their family.
According to Israeli media, Israeli ministers discussed the policy last week at a security cabinet meeting, with a military official stating that any adult who crosses the line will be shot, and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urging the Israeli military to also shoot children. Defense Minister Israel Katz concluded the conversation by stating that anyone who approaches the line “should know that they may be harmed.”
The yellow line was initially unmarked, leaving Palestinians on the ground without a way to know where it was. The IDF has since begun placing yellow concrete blocks about 200 meters apart to mark the line, but in some areas, it remains unclear where the boundary starts.
“In our area, the yellow lines aren’t clearly visible. We don’t know where they start or end. I think they’re clearer in other places, but here, nothing is defined,” Mohammad Khaled Abu al-Hussain, a 31-year-old father of five in southern Gaza, told The Guardian on Sunday.
Al-Hussain said his home is near Khan Younis on the Israeli-occupied side of the yellow line. “As soon as we get close to our homes, bullets start flying from every direction, and sometimes small drones, the quadcopters, hover above us, watching every move,” he said. “Yesterday, I was with my friend when we suddenly came under heavy gunfire. We threw ourselves to the ground and stayed there until the shooting stopped. I couldn’t reach my house.”
Based on numbers released by Gaza’s Health Ministry, the Monday drone attack brings the total number of Palestinians killed by the IDF in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect to 95.
Over the weekend, Israel launched an airstrike against an alleged Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative it claimed was preparing an attack on IDF troops, a claim strongly denied by PIJ. The US approved of the strike, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on Monday that it was not a violation of the ceasefire.
