Six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday, including a nine-year-old girl, according to local health officials.

They died during a ceasefire.

That contradiction defines the current phase of the war in Gaza — a truce technically in effect since October 10, under which strikes have decreased considerably but continue almost every single day.

What Happened Sunday

Three separate incidents, across three locations.

A drone strike hit a blacksmith shop in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, killing at least four Palestinians, according to officials at Shifa hospital, where casualties were brought.

The Israeli military confirmed striking the area, describing the target as “terrorist infrastructure.” It later specified that it had hit a Hamas weapon production site.

What followed is notable. After the initial strikes, Palestinians in the area received an evacuation order from the military. Roughly an hour later, intense airstrikes targeted the same blacksmith shop again.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s ambulance service said the Gaza City strikes wounded 14 people.

A Child in a Displacement Camp

Separately, Israeli gunfire killed nine-year-old Tala Abu Matar in a displacement camp in central Gaza, according to Health Ministry officials.

The Israeli military said it was unaware of any such incident.

A Tent in Khan Younis

In southern Gaza, an Israeli strike on a displacement tent in Khan Younis killed one Palestinian, according to health officials at Nasser hospital.

Israel’s military confirmed carrying out a strike in that area and characterized it as “part of routine activities.”

It said it was not aware of any casualties.

The Numbers Since the Ceasefire

The word “ceasefire” implies an end to killing. The figures suggest something more limited.

Since the truce took effect on October 10, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry:

• At least 1,098 Palestinians killed
• Among them, at least 260 children
• Five Israeli soldiers killed in the same period

Israel’s military maintains it targets Hamas and other militants, frequently asserting that those struck were planning attacks. The strikes have also killed substantial numbers of civilians.

The Wider Toll

The war began with the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, which killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 taken hostage.

Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed 73,221 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry.

That ministry is part of the Hamas-led government, but it is staffed by medical professionals whose detailed record-keeping is generally regarded as reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, though it states that women and children constitute roughly half of all deaths.

The Deadlock

The ceasefire’s second phase — the part that was meant to actually resolve things — has stalled.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain largely frozen over its implementation, with two issues proving intractable:

• The disarmament of Hamas
• The reconstruction of Gaza

Neither side has moved sufficiently to unlock the other.

What That Means on the Ground

While diplomats remain deadlocked, more than two million people continue living in the wreckage of the war.

Most of Gaza’s population remains displaced.

Many are housed in crowded tent camps with little or no access to basic services. Others shelter in the ruins of buildings that no longer function as buildings.

It is worth noting where Sunday’s deaths occurred: a displacement camp, a displacement tent, a workshop in a residential neighbourhood.

These are the places people went because they had nowhere else.

The Nature of This Ceasefire

A ceasefire that permits near-daily strikes is a difficult thing to describe honestly.

It has reduced the intensity of the violence. That is real, and for Gazans it matters enormously.

But it has not stopped people from being killed. It has not allowed reconstruction to begin. It has not returned the displaced to homes that, in most cases, no longer exist.

Tala Abu Matar was nine years old. She was living in a displacement camp because the war made that necessary. She was killed during a period officially designated as peace.

Until the second phase moves, that is the arrangement — a truce that ends the bombardment but not the dying.