Between 19 and 21 October 2026, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 15 Palestinians, including a couple and four children, and injured at least 40 others, including women and children, in a series of attacks across the Gaza Strip. The attacks targeted gatherings of civilians, displacement tents, and residential homes, while IOF also opened fire on civilians in areas near what is known as the “Yellow Line.” In a separate incident, a child succumbed to injuries sustained in an earlier Israeli attack. Meanwhile, IOF arrested two Palestinian women as they were returning to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing, one of whom was an elderly woman suffering from cancer.
This comes amid a continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where shortages of essential goods and foodstuffs, particularly fresh vegetables, are worsening due to Israeli-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods through the crossings. These restrictions are deepening the suffering of the population and further undermining their ability to meet basic needs, while Israeli attacks continue and restrictions on the entry of essential supplies into the Strip remain in place.
The most significant attacks documented by PCHR’s field researchers were as follows:
At approximately 21:50 on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, an Israeli drone fired a missile at an electric bicycle ridden by ‘Alaa Ibrahim Nemer Ershi (31) as he was passing near Dar al-Arqam Bookshop in the Universities area of Gaza City, killing him instantly. The attack also killed Khader Mohammed Khader Abu Serriyah (20) and injured five others, one of whom was reported to be in critical condition. The injured were transferred to al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City for treatment. The attack also damaged several displacement tents erected along the street and injured residents sheltering them.
At approximately 12:59 on the same day, an Israeli drone targeted a displacement tent near al-Tinah Street in Mawasi al-Qararah, northwest of Khan Younis. The attack killed Ramadan Mohammed Shehadah Diab (63) and seriously injured another person.
On Thursday afternoon, 20 October 2026, IOF arrested Amal Ghazi Mohammed al-Rifi (60), an elderly woman suffering from cancer, and her daughter, Yasmin Ref’at Mohammed al-Rifi (33), who was accompanying her. The two women were returning to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing after travelling to Egypt for medical treatment at Aswan Hospital.
At approximately 16:20 on the same day, an Israeli drone fired a missile at two people inside al-Sawahrah Cemetery, southwest of al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The attack killed Karam Riyadh Hasan Abu Bteihan (27) and critically injured the other person.
At approximately 16:15 on the same day, IOF stationed inside the Yellow Zone opened fire on areas northwest of the Yellow Line in al-Mawasi, west of Rafah, injuring three people.
At approximately 15:40 on the same day, an Israeli drone fired a missile at people gathered in the al-Qasaseeb neighborhood of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. The attack killed Mahmoud Khalil Mousa al-Motaweq (24) and injured three others, who were transferred to hospital for treatment.
At approximately 12:05 on the same day, an Israeli drone fired a missile at Baraa’ Mohammed Jameel Ma’rouf (14) near ‘Awda Oil Press, close to Wadi Gaza Bridge, killing him instantly. Approximately an hour and a half later, people were able to recover his body, which was subsequently identified at al-‘Awda Hospital in al-Nuseirat refugee camp.
At approximately 11:00 on the same day, IOF stationed in the Yellow Zone south of Khan Younis opened fire on a group of children in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of the city. Majd Mohammed Fathi Hasan (15) was wounded and transferred to Nasser Medical Complex, where he was pronounced dead after succumbing to a gunshot wound to the back, with the bullet exiting through his chest.
At approximately 02:20 on the same day, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at a residential apartment on the first floor of a house belonging to the Abu Baker family, opposite the southwestern side of al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City. The attack killed Akram Bassam Sha’ban Yasin (39) and his wife, Dina Nabil Khaled Abu Baker (36), and injured seven other people sheltering in the house and nearby tents. The strike destroyed parts of the targeted apartment and four tents near the house.
At approximately 17:50 on Monday, 19 October 2026, an Israeli drone fired a missile at Tamer Mohammed Ibrahim al-Sabbagh (33) in front of al-Basheer Supermarket, at the end of al-Jalaa’ Street in northern Gaza City, killing him instantly. The attack also injured 12 others, several of whom sustained critical injuries. One of the injured, ‘Abdel Rahman Khalil ‘Ata ‘Awad (9), later succumbed to his injuries at approximately 15:00 on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. It should be noted that the area is one of the most densely populated in Gaza City and includes a popular market, several shops, and a taxi parking lot.
At approximately 16:20 on the same Monday, an Israeli drone fired a missile at people gathered near al-Tabi’een Sharia School in the al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City. The attack killed ‘Abdullah Monir Mahmoud Herez (35) and injured three others.
At approximately 14:50 on the same day, an Israeli drone targeted a young man and a child in the Qizan Abu Rashwan area, south of Khan Younis, killing both instantly. Their bodies were taken to Nasser Medical Complex, where they were initially received unidentified. Two hours later, they were identified as Walid Mohammed Walid Shakshak (14) and Yousif Salim Mohammed Abu Ghali (19). Yousif had been heading to his house from which he had previously been forcibly displaced to bring clothes for his family, accompanied by Walid Shakshak.
At approximately 13:45 on the same day, an Israeli drone fired a missile at people gathered near al-Israa’ Mosque, close to al-Sheikh Radwan Bridge in northern Gaza City. The attack killed Mohammed Wael Mustafa Sho’asha’ah (39) and injured several others, including a woman who sustained critical injuries.
These attacks come amid growing shortages of essential goods and foodstuffs across markets and shops in the Gaza Strip, which PCHR’s field researchers have documented over the past several days. Fresh vegetables, in particular, have become scarce in many markets, while prices continue to rise and people’s ability to afford basic necessities diminishes. Residents have also been forced to queue for bread again, as some bakeries have closed due to shortages of flour and fuel needed to operate. These developments come amid IOF’s restrictions on movement through the crossings and on the entry of goods and essential supplies into the Strip, further exacerbating the food crisis and threatening people’s access to adequate food, raising the spectre of famine once again.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls on the international community to take urgent and effective action to compel Israel to halt its genocidal campaign, protect civilians and their property, ensure the entry of goods, humanitarian aid, food, medical supplies, and other essential supplies into the Gaza Strip, and hold those responsible for crimes committed against Palestinians accountable.
