Tragedy in Gaza: One Family's Loss Amid Ceasefire Breakdowns
By Yogita Limaye, reporting from Jerusalem
Fida al‑Toutah, a 31‑year‑old mother of five, was killed on 21 September when Israeli gunfire erupted in her tent in central Gaza.
“My mother shouted at us to get down,” her son Ezz recalled, weeping as he spoke. He realised Fida was hit only when he saw the blood‑ied hands of his younger brother, who had been clinging to his mother as the bullets came in.
Fida died from a gunshot wound to the head. She is one of more than 1,400 people in Gaza who have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began on 10 October, according to Gaza's Hamas‑run health ministry figures considered reliable by the UN.
On the ground, the ceasefire meant large‑scale bombardment stopped, bringing relief and an increase in humanitarian aid and medical supplies. Yet Israel has continued launching strikes in Gaza almost every day – more than 30 people killed in the past week alone, the ministry says.
Israel says it targets Hamas operatives and accuses Hamas of violating the ceasefire. “It [the ceasefire] is all lies. Every day there's a shooting. Every day there is killing and death lurking around,” said Ahed, Fida's husband.
In response to the BBC's queries about Fida's killing, the Israel Defence Forces said they had no record of the incident. The total death toll from Israeli attacks since the start of the war in Gaza three years ago has now exceeded 74,000, according to the health ministry.
The family has moved seven times, citing the danger of crossing the so‑called Yellow Line that separates Israeli‑controlled from Hamas‑controlled Gaza. Across the line, positions are considered the most dangerous, and residents have few options to move due to space shortages.
Camps across Gaza are now built below sea level, increasing flood risk, and the reconstruction promised under the 2025 peace deal remains stalled over disarmament and withdrawal disputes. Israeli control over what materials and machinery can enter Gaza is strictly enforced for security reasons. Meanwhile, many families, like Amal Alabadla who now lives in a tent on the coast with her two boys, raise their children alone, struggling to survive amid ongoing uncertainty.
Amal told us, “Before the war, I had a job, a house, an ordinary life, but then everything turned upside down. Now we have no hope, nothing. It’s only about survival day by day.” She added that her son suffers from epilepsy seizures in the cold and is frightened of wind‑damaged tents.
The 2025 peace deal promised recovery plans worth $2.45bn, but one year on from the ceasefire, many like Amal remain skeptical that the blockade ever truly lifts or that sincere rebuilding can commence.
Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson and Malak Hassouneh.
