Israeli Strikes Kill Four Palestinians as Forces Expand Control Zone and Hamas Rejects Ceasefire Terms

Israeli strikes killed four Palestinians, including a child, in the Gaza Strip on June 8, health officials said. Medics reported two deaths from a strike near a tent encampment in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. In the Jabalia refugee camp, medics said an airstrike killed two Palestinians, including an eight-year-old boy, and wounded others near people digging a well.

Israeli forces have moved markers and concrete blocks to expand the Yellow Zone in eastern Khan Younis and northern Rafah, witnesses said. New markers place troops closer to tent areas and displacement centers. In Bani Suhaila, residents reported seeing tanks from their tents.

Israeli troops control more than 60 percent of Gaza's territory. Nearly all of the enclave's 2 million people now live in a narrow coastal strip, mostly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings under Hamas control. The territory was reduced to ruins during Israel's two-year military campaign that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 7 that he had ordered the military to expand its hold to 70 percent of the enclave. "We are not allowing them to arm themselves or harm us, and we are also eliminating their senior commanders," he said. Mediators in Cairo are in the third day of a new round of ceasefire talks.

Hamas and other Palestinian groups told mediators that Israel must halt attacks before talks on a second phase can proceed. They also called for increased aid flows and an Israeli pullback to the original October ceasefire lines. A Hamas official said Israel has refused to commit to any of the groups' demands.

"Israel refuses to end attacks on civilians in Gaza, allow 600 trucks of aid and goods into Gaza as agreed and it continues to occupy more land every day," the official said. Israeli strikes have killed more than 950 people since the truce began, health officials said. Israel reported that four of its soldiers were killed by militants during the same period.