TODAY’S PAPER | April 20, 2026 | EPAPER

Two Palestinians killed by Israeli fire as death toll tops 72,500, says health ministry

The ministry explains that 777 Palestinians have been killed and 2,193 injured since the ceasefire began


Anadolu Agency April 20, 2026 1 min read
A Palestinian boy reacts as he sits at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a house, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, October 29, 2025.PHOTO: REUTERS

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll from Israel’s military assault since October 2023 to 72,553, the health ministry said on Monday.

In its daily report, the ministry said hospitals received two bodies and 22 wounded over the past day. The ministry did not specify the circumstances of the deaths, but said Israeli forces continue to violate the ceasefire in place since October 2025 through shelling and gunfire, resulting in casualties.

The ministry explained that 777 Palestinians had been killed and 2,193 injured since the ceasefire began on October 10, 2025. The total number of wounded since October 2023 had reached 172,296, according to the ministry.

The ceasefire followed two years of a genocidal campaign that began on October 8, 2023, causing widespread destruction that affected about 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at around $70 billion.

Read More: Israeli attacks kill 4 Palestinians, including child

Last week, four Palestinians, including a child, were killed in separate Israeli attacks across Gaza. Witnesses said the strike hit an area outside the zone under Israeli control, according to the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli army claimed that its forces identified two Palestinians crossing the so-called “yellow line” and approaching troops in a way that posed an “immediate threat”. It said the two were killed in an airstrike.

The “yellow line” is the line to which the Israeli army withdrew inside Gaza under the truce. It separates areas under full Israeli control in the east, covering around 53% of the enclave, from western areas where Palestinians are allowed to remain.

Since the Israeli withdrawal to that line, dozens of Palestinians have been killed after the Israeli army accused them of attempting to cross it.

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