Eid al-Adha Violence and the Unraveling Gaza Ceasefire

What was supposed to be a period of religious observance and family gathering in Gaza became a week of intense bloodshed at the end of May 2026, dealing another crippling blow to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that was already on life support. The convergence of daily Israeli strikes, a major territorial expansion order, and the total collapse of disarmament talks has left the October 2025 truce in tatters and Gaza's 2.1 million residents caught in a shrinking, violent space.

Dr. Jamal Abu Aoun: A Senior Doctor Killed Near His Hospital

On Saturday, May 30, the fourth day of Eid al-Adha, Dr. Jamal Abu Aoun, the head of anaesthesia at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, was killed by an Israeli attack in central Gaza. Three other people were injured in the drone strike, which targeted a group of civilians near the hospital in Deir al-Balah, according to medical sources .

Earlier on the same day, a separate Israeli strike hit a Hamas-manned police point in the city, killing a Palestinian nurse and wounding at least three others . Dr. Abu Aoun’s funeral was held at noon in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital courtyard, a grim ceremony that underscored the relentless dangers facing medical professionals in the enclave .

At Least 26 Killed in a Holiday Week of Strikes

The killing of Dr. Abu Aoun was the culminating event in a broader wave of violence that began on the eve of Eid al-Adha, Tuesday, May 26. By Friday, May 30, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) confirmed at least 26 Palestinians had been killed across the Gaza Strip .

The OHCHR detailed that 12 Palestinians were killed in three airstrikes on May 26 alone, while a teenage girl died from injuries sustained in a strike the previous day . Other reporting, including from Gaza's Health Ministry, indicates the toll may be even higher, with at least 16 killed and 39 wounded in a single 48-hour window .

Attacks were widespread. Israeli drones struck the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, airstrikes hit residential buildings in the al-Rimal neighborhood, and multiple strikes were reported across central and southern Gaza . On the first day of Eid, an overnight strike on a residential building in al-Rimal killed at least 10 people and wounded 20 others, with four children among the dead .

A Ceasefire Marked by Hundreds of Violations

The October 2025 ceasefire — brokered by the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye — officially halted major combat and laid out binding obligations for both sides, including an end to hostilities, the resumption of humanitarian aid, and a phased release of hostages and prisoners . Yet by May 2026, it was described as "shaky" and had been marred by constant violations .

Palestinian authorities claim Israel has violated the U.S.-backed ceasefire roughly 3,000 times since it took effect . The UN has documented 922 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military since the ceasefire was announced, bringing the total death toll to nearly 73,000 since the war began on October 7, 2023, according to local health authorities . Both Israel and Palestinian factions have traded accusations of non-compliance, but the ceasefire has failed to prevent near-daily violence .

Israel Orders Seizure of 70% of the Gaza Strip

On May 28–29, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a conference in the occupied West Bank that he had directed the military to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip — a major escalation beyond the roughly 53% of the territory Israel was allowed to hold under the ceasefire’s terms .

“At this point, we are fully in control of 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip… and my directive is to get to… 70%,” Netanyahu said, adding the military would advance "step by step" . When an audience member shouted that Israel should take "100 percent," Netanyahu responded, "We’re going in order. First 70 percent… we’ll start with that" .

Under the ceasefire, Israel was supposed to gradually cede territory as part of a multi-phase peace plan, but the military has instead gradually expanded its control, leaving 2.1 million residents in an ever-shrinking territory . Hamas called the move a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire, and international observers described it as a direct threat to the already fragile truce .

Hamas Disarmament Talks Collapse

The disarmament of Hamas is a central component of the U.S.-backed peace plan, but negotiations between Hamas and the Board of Peace (BoP) — the international coalition tasked with overseeing the ceasefire — have effectively stalled since April 2026 .

Hamas has "staunchly rejected total disarmament," insisting it will not hand over its weapons without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state . Talks in Cairo between a Hamas delegation and the BoP delegation, led by High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, reached an impasse, with Palestinian sources reporting that negotiations collapsed .

On May 26, 2026, the Board of Peace issued a stark public statement: “At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza” . The Board pressed the UN Security Council to force Hamas’s compliance, but with no disarmament framework in place and violence intensifying, the path to any lasting peace remains deeply uncertain.