Escalating Violence in Gaza and West Bank Claims Lives of Two Palestinian Children

Gaza/Ramallah, February 17, 2026 – Renewed violence in the Gaza Strip and West Bank has resulted in the deaths of two Palestinian children, raising concerns about the fragility of the current ceasefire and prompting international criticism of Israeli settlement policies.

Child Killed in Israeli Airstrike in Gaza

According to Palestinian medical sources, 12-year-old Youssef Asaliya was fatally struck by an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia, located in the northern Gaza Strip. His body was transported to Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City [Source: News USA Today]. Further Israeli airstrikes were reported east of the Gaza Strip, alongside the arrest of two Palestinian fishermen operating off the coast [Source: News USA Today].

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed conducting a strike in the northern Gaza Strip, stating that troops “identified a terrorist who crossed the Yellow Line and approached the troops, posing an imminent threat to their safety.” The IDF asserted that the individual was “eliminated in order to remove the threat” [Source: News USA Today].

Child Killed by Unexploded Ordnance in West Bank

In a separate incident in the West Bank, one child was killed and another seriously injured due to the detonation of unexploded ordnance reportedly left by the Israeli army in the central Jordan Valley [Source: News USA Today]. The IDF confirmed dispatching soldiers to the area following reports of three Palestinians injured while handling the ordnance [Source: News USA Today].

Rising Death Toll and Ceasefire Violations

Health authorities in Gaza reported that, since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, Israeli actions have resulted in the deaths of 603 Palestinians and injuries to 1,618 others within the Gaza Strip [Source: News USA Today]. This brings the total death toll since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, to 72,063, with 171,726 reported injuries [Source: News USA Today].

International Concerns and Calls for De-escalation

The violence coincides with renewed international criticism of Israeli settlement policy. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, warned that “accelerating the dispossession of Palestinians & expanding Israeli settlements will do nothing to bring long-needed stability & peace to the region” [Source: News USA Today]. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to “reverse these measures,” urging all parties to “preserve the only path to lasting peace, a negotiated two-State solution in line with international law” [Source: News USA Today].

Israel seized control of the West Bank after the 1967 war and has established settlements there, a move deemed illegal by the international community [Source: News USA Today].