. From Genocide watch
‘The Use of Force
ARTICLE 3 ISRAELI VIOLATION
The clearest violations of the ceasefire can be seen with the use of deadly force and violence. Under Art. 3 of the Peace Plan, both Hamas and Israel were required to respect the immediate cessation "of all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment."
This has not happened, as Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire have continued unabated. Instead, Hamas has sought to reassert control of Gazaby eliminating rival armed clans and families, such as the Dugmush Clan, and occasionally clashing with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Both parties routinely accuse each other of violating the ceasefire and appear to be biased in their reporting.
However, authoritative figures from the U.N. state that IDF operations since the October 2025 ceasefire have left 765 Palestinians dead and 2,140 injured. These figures have been confirmed by reputable human rights organizations such as Save the Children and Danish Refugee Council, which added that at least 180 children have died in this “ceasefire period.” In this period, four IDF soldiers have also been killed.
Crucially, the Israeli military body, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), has routinely accused Palestinians of violently engaging IDF soldiers, and the IDF has frequently failed todistinguish civilians from combatants in its attacks.
In December 2025, Fadi and Juma Abu Assi, 8 and 10 years old, were killed in an Israeli drone strike acknowledged by the IDF. COGAT described the boys asconducting "suspicious activities" and posing an "immediate threat" to Israeli soldiers.
Similarly, in January 2026, two cousins, Mohammad and Suleiman Al Zawaraa, were killed by an explosive device planted to eliminate “terrorists’” who were approaching troops.
Such claims have allowed Israel to continue violating the ceasefire with impunity, using alleged Hamas’ violations as justifications for its own actions.
This trend constitutes a violation of the international humanitarian legal principles of <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/war-and-law/03_distinction-0.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiW6-v2yaaTAxU9h_0HHZYbL5AQFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3nd-RukcuXPKX7UhnzDqiG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">distinction and precaution, as civilians are not properly separated from combatants, and the IDF failed to take steps to separate civilians from combatants and minimize harm to civilians.
Additionally, the IDF has regularly violated the principle of proportionality, carrying out military actions which lead to damage and civilian impact that would far outweigh the military advantage gained.
For example, on Oct. 19, 2025, following an alleged Hamas violation of the ceasefire and the death of two IDF soldiers in Rafah, the IDF retaliated by killing <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/28/netanyahu-gaza-strikes-hamas/&ved=2ahUKEwiirvq5v6mTAxVggP0HHe7ZLbQQFnoECBcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw07YHx2RUdfzkqCZ_CmR-GF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">45 Palestinians.
Similarly, on Oct. 29, 2025, following a supposed exchange of gunfire that killed one Israeli soldier, the IDF killed 104 Palestinians, including 46 children, in a bombing attack.
Hamas denied any role in killing of the soldier, and Israel subsequently named 24 militant targets, ignoring the 80 other fatalities that were caused by the bombing.
Hamas has also failed to respect the ceasefire by engaging in summary executions and clashes with rival factions. Since the ceasefire, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights has recorded 80 reported killings of Palestinians by Hamas, undermining Art. 1 of the Peace Plan that declares Gaza a "de-radicalised terror-free zone." According to internal sources in the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas continues its effort to retain control of Gaza through guns and violence.
Israel has also targeted journalists and human rights defenders in Gaza, demonstrating a concerted attempt to silence human rights reporting. On Jan. 21, 2026, Israeli forces killed three journalists on their way to film the newly formed displaced camp in Netzarim. On March 9, 2026, Amal Shamali was found dead after an air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Since the start of the war, the IDF has killed more than 270 journalists and media workers.
Occupation Violations
In 2024, an International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion stated the <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.icj-cij.org/index.php/node/204160&ved=2ahUKEwirxZuKwamTAxWn_7sIHejJInIQFnoECBcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3Na5N2QVLR2vb2I3CP0Oj1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">illegality of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
Nevertheless, Israel has proceeded to enforce an open-ended occupation, leaving many residents homeless, unemployed, and unable to travel, with no change evident since the ceasefire.
ARTCLE 16 and ARTICLE 12
ISRAELI VIOLATIONS
The ceasefire deal stated that Israel was to withdraw to a “yellow line”that gives it control of half of Gaza.
Additionally, it is stated in Art. 16 of the Peace Plan that Israel must not occupy or annex Gaza and in Art. 12 that Gazans were free to stay, leave, or return.
Despite Israeli withdrawal claims, the level of territorial, maritime, and administrative control exercised by Israel indicates that Gaza remains occupied under international law.
According to a BBC Verify analysis, in October 2025, Israel placed its markers of the “yellow line” a few hundred meters ahead of the recognized line.
Pushing westwards, Israel controls 54% of Gaza, signifying a violation of the agreed-upon line.
In January 2026, Israel moved the yellow line deeper into Gaza, according to satellite images.
ARTICLE 3 ISRAELI VIOLATIONS
Additionally, Israel has implemented a no-go or “buffer” zone behind the yellow line, killing civilians that cross it (even unknowingly) while looking for food, shelter, firewood or their belongings.
Operating as a buffer zone, this gives the IDF considerable space to manoeuvre and create a "kill zone". This is a stark violation of Art. 3 of the Peace Plan.
The Abu Assi brothers were killed by the IDF after crossing the line in the <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/middleeast/children-killed-israeli-drone-firewood-gaza-intl-latam&ved=2ahUKEwiIvIq2xKmTAxXg87sIHfjsEsAQFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0XEEn1STYkwq7KjUPeaS22" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">town of Bani Suheila, and the Al Zawaraa cousins were killed near the yellow line in <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.cnn.com/2026/01/25/middleeast/gaza-teens-killed-intl&ved=2ahUKEwi34e3SxKmTAxUClP0HHQeTArEQFnoECCYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1jcHP3vZWDZqcyQqj4aH_g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Northern Gaza. Israel has also failed to clearly mark all the “yellow line,” resulting in further civilian killings.
This is a crucial violation of the ceasefire and international law, as civilians fall under the category of <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/protected-persons-civilians&ved=2ahUKEwiy_uDLwamTAxVahv0HHYi6C4EQFnoECBUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3pa6fldRCJ6hTIoc7VgzkV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">protected persons in armed conflict.
All military operations must remain "frozen" as well, according to Art. 3 of the Peace Plan.
Instead, since the ceasefire, Israel has engaged in the widespread demolition of essential infrastructure and residential buildings.
A U.N. report found that Gaza is the recipient of acts amounting to "domicide," which has relentlessly continued since the ceasefire began.
At the start of the ceasefire in October 2025, 92% of Gaza’s housing units were fully destroyed or damaged.
In November 2025, a BBC Verify analysis concluded that Israel has demolished at least 1,500 buildings in Gaza since the ceasefire. Oxfam estimates that 2,500 residential buildings were destroyed by January 2026.
As of April 2026, 1.7 million people are currently sheltering in some 1,600 displacement sites in Gaza.
Therefore, Israeli occupation of Gaza has caused significant harm to civilian infrastructure, violating Art. 3 of the Peace Plan. Rutgers University Professor of Law Adil Haque has also stated that the "destruction of civilian property by an occupying power" amounts to a violation of international humanitarian law. Furthermore, it continues to have detrimental effects on the livelihood of Palestinians. The lack of shelter has killed 39 Palestinians from early December to late January.
ARTICLE 7 ISRAELI VIOLATIONS
Additionally, Art. 7 of the Peace Plan stated that water, electricity, sewage, and medical infrastructure were to be rehabilitated. With <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15579018251410717&ved=2ahUKEwiy3K7fwamTAxX79rsIHe4oEpsQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw39_ysBQcuODZH9hniPjrz_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">90% of Gaza’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure damaged, the human rights of Gazans, including their right to safe drinking water and sanitation, continue to be compromised, with no significant Israeli action taken to rectify this situation.
In fact, Israel has intentionally prevented the entry of necessary repair materials such as <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.ochaopt.org/content/gaza-humanitarian-response-update-2-15-march-2025&ved=2ahUKEwiX9MKQxqmTAxVch_0HHXXWMVcQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2iWIG7Ox_z3L1-kfhEr0FT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pipes and generators, as well as that of life-saving equipment such as <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/100-days-ceasefire-gaza-still-deliberately-deprived-water-aid-groups-forced-scavenge&ved=2ahUKEwiX9MKQxqmTAxVch_0HHXXWMVcQFnoECB4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0Mrym0The2z9FLV0ciSrjp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reverse osmosis machines. As a result, Gaza continues to be "deliberately deprived of water."
Israel continues to prevent heavy machinery from entering Gaza to remove rubble and clear roads to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians. This represents a clear violation of Art. 7, as only <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-continues-to-deny-entry-of-heavy-machinery-to-remove-rubble-from-gaza-says-official/3486427&ved=2ahUKEwjl7LHnyKmTAxWT87sIHTUOM7oQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0mW9flf831AiH_NQANYMk0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">six machines have been allowed to enter Gaza, while experts estimate that <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-continues-to-deny-entry-of-heavy-machinery-to-remove-rubble-from-gaza-says-official/3486427&ved=2ahUKEwjl7LHnyKmTAxWT87sIHTUOM7oQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0mW9flf831AiH_NQANYMk0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">500 are needed.
ARTICLE 16 ISRAELI VIOLATION
Israel’s indefinite occupation maintained by the use of force may amount to de facto annexation and thus constitutes an act of aggression, unlawful under international law and therefore in breach of Art. 16 of the Peace Plan.
HUMANITARIAN VIOLATIONS BY ISRAEL
The October 2025 ceasefire agreement, like the January agreement, stated that there should be humanitarian aid and relief should immediately be allowed into Gaza.
However, the evidence suggests this obligation was breached almost immediately.
From Oct. 11, 2025 to April 1, 2026, an average of 100 trucks per day has entered Gaza.
This is a fundamental violation of the 20 Point Peace Plan’s call for “full” aid to enter Gaza, in accordance with the January 2025 agreement’s call for 600 trucks a day
In November 2025, U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that humanitarian access remains critically restricted, with only two of six crossings reopened.
They also noted that major hospitals are only partially functional and require restoration, equipment, and supplies to reach full operational capacity. Experts were quoted as saying that “Continuing failure to ensure that the U.N., through OCHA and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), directly manages aid delivery and distribution in Gaza, as mandated by international law, is unacceptable and cannot be justified.”
The same month, relief agencies reported that Israel was blocking entry of shipments of bottles for baby formula and over a million syringes needed to vaccinate Gazan children. Israel claims that the items are “dual-use,” meaning they could be used for both civilian and military purposes. This designation has significantly disrupted the delivery of many humanitarian supplies amidst an urgent crisis.
In a more recent report, Gaza's Government Media Office recorded a significant shortfall in aid delivery between October 2025 and February 2026, with only 43% of the allocated number of aid trucks entering Gaza. Aid drivers attributed part of the delay to prolonged Israeli inspection procedures at crossings. Additionally, requests for aid have dramatically decreased following the stringent NGO registration regulations Israel approved in 2025, alongside an increased rate of rejection.
The restrictions extended beyond quantity: Israel blocked nutritious food items, including meat, dairy and vegetables, while allowing through items of little nutritional value, such as snacks, chocolate, and soft drinks. Commercial shipments cannot replace humanitarian aid, as they are of “high monetary value but low nutritional value”.
ISRAELS VIOLATION ON MEDICAL EVACUATIONS
The October 2025 agreement stipulated that humanitarian conditions must be consistent at minimum with the January 2025 agreement, which had explicitly committed Israel to allowing wounded Palestinians to leave Gaza for treatment and to opening the Rafah crossing within seven days of the first phase's implementation.
According to UNRWA, medical evacuations remain on hold; since the ceasefire,
-only 700 patients have been evacuated from Gaza. Gaza's Health Ministry reports that
-more than 20,000 patients and wounded people are waiting to travel abroad for treatment, among them approximately
-4,000 cancer patients requiring specialized care, around
-440 life-saving cases requiring urgent intervention, and nearly -6,000 wounded people in need of continued hospital care outside Gaza.
Additionally, half of all medical facilities in Gaza are not operational to date, with severe medical shortages arising from the restrictions imposed by Israel on the border crossings. Alongside the continued
destruction of WASH facilities, these closures are contributing to a wider public health crisis, attested to by UNICEF, including
-widespread respiratory diseases,
-parasitic infections and outbreaks of
-diarrhoea and
-gonorrhea.
Israel has also played a part in moving weapons into Gaza by helping to arm anti-Hamas factions such as the Popular Forces, thus introducing proxies into the conflict in an effort to undermine Hamas’ hold on the enclave. This constitutes another violation of the ceasefire and peace deal.
PHASE TWO
CONSTRICTED BY ISRAEL
on Jan. 14, 2026, the U.S. announced that the process was moving into phase two, However, the second phase of the peace plan has seen very sparse progress.
One of the key components of this plan is the introduction of an administration of Palestinian technocrats, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, under the auspices of the Board of Peace.
However, Israel has not allowed the individuals named for the committee to enter Gaza,
stating that as long as Hamas' ceasefire violations continue, they will not do so.
The genocide against the civilians of Gaza has continued despite the advent of a ceasefire, mutating into a more discrete, yet still-deadly form.
Due to the near-total destruction of the Gaza Strip, the indiscriminate bombings and widespread atrocities committed against Palestinian civilians, and documented statements indicating genocidal intent,
Genocide Watch recognised that the crisis amounts to
Stage 8: Persecution and* *
Stage 9: Extermination. Elements of
Stage 4: Dehumanisation
and
Stage 1: Classification
are highlighted in the lack of humanity through which the IDF continues to operate, in
-failing to differentiate between civilians and militants,
-blocking humanitarian aid delivery, and
-impeding the entrance of crucial machinery to clear rubble and construct temporary shelter highlights.
Since the start of the war, Israel has vehemently denied perpetrating a genocide, leading Genocide Watch to recognise
Stage 10: Denial. ‘