Israel’s attacks on Gaza persist as ‘Peace Board’ set to meet

Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in a series of strikes hitting central and southern Gaza on Sunday, despite an ongoing ceasefire in place since October.

At least one Palestinian has been killed so far on Monday, following Israeli shelling on the Shujaiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City.

The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire came into effect on 11 October to 603, with another 1,607 others wounded.

Israel’s sustained attacks on the Palestinian enclave come as US President Donald Trump prepares to convene the inaugural meeting of his self-styled ‘Board of Peace‘ on Thursday.

Trump announced on Sunday that members of the foreign-led panel, which is overseeing the administration and reconstruction of Gaza, are set to unveil $5 billion in reconstruction pledges at the meeting later this week in Washington.

“The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, without revealing which countries had pledged the funding.

Meanwhile, Indonesia – a member of the peace board – said on Sunday that 8,000 of its troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of the International Stabilisation Force. The pledge makes Indonesia the first state to firmly commit military units to Trump’s peace force.

States have been hesitant to commit to deploying forces to Gaza, amid uncertainty about the remit of the stabilisation force. Some US allies, including Egypt, have insisted that Hamas cannot be forcibly disarmed. The group has retained its weapons amid efforts to usher in the ceasefire’s second phase, despite US and Israeli threats of violence.

On Friday, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir warned that Israel is “not giving up” to “completely demilitarise Gaza and disarm Hamas of all its weapons”.

“We are prepared to move from defence to offence,” Zamir was quoted by Israeli media as saying to troops in Gaza.

Israel, itself a member of Trump’s Peace Board, has continued to threaten escalation in Gaza and has more than 50 percent of the Palestinian enclave under its direct military control.

Analysts have warned that the continued military presence within Gaza could lead to further killings of Palestinians through intermittent strikes that fall below the threshold of all out war, with no real end to the conflict in sight.