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Israeli strikes kill several in Gaza, including guards at university campus

Israeli strikes kill several in Gaza, including guards at university campus

Force in Play

Five police officers and a four-year-old boy were among eight killed on November 1, and the death toll since the ceasefire has passed 1,580

November 1st, 2026: Strikes kill eight, including five police officers

Overview

Updated Nov 1

Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians on November 1, five of them police officers hit by a drone in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. A separate strike in Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood killed three people, including a four-year-old boy, hospital sources said. Israel's military said it targeted militants in both places.

Gaza's Health Ministry says 1,581 Palestinians have been killed and 5,711 wounded since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025, according to figures the Al Mezan Center cited on November 1. The Interior Ministry says 75 police officers have been killed since the truce began. The Health Ministry's October 29 call for Rafah to open still stands: 21,468 patients need treatment outside Gaza.

Why it matters

A year into a ceasefire meant to end the war, strikes still kill Palestinians daily and the wounded cannot leave Gaza for care.

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Key Indicators

8
Killed in strikes on November 1
Five police officers in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, and three people in Gaza City, including a four-year-old boy, per hospital sources.
75
Police officers killed since the ceasefire
Per the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security, which counts deaths among officers since October 2025.
3
Staff killed at Islamic University
Second strike on the campus within hours on October 25.
1,581
Palestinians killed since ceasefire began
Since October 10, 2025, per Gaza's Health Ministry figures cited by the Al Mezan Center on November 1. Another 5,711 have been wounded.
21,468
Patients waiting to leave Gaza for treatment
Including 6,430 priority cases, per the Health Ministry on October 29.
95%
Gaza higher education campuses damaged or destroyed
Per UNESCO estimate since the war began.

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People Involved

MB
Mahmoud Bassal
Spokesman for Gaza Civil Defense
Reporting casualties and rescue operations across Gaza

Organizations Involved

Islamic University of Gaza
Islamic University of Gaza
University
Hit twice on October 25; suspended in-person classes for the rest of that week, with resumption not reported

Gaza's largest university, hit by two Israeli strikes on October 25.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
National military
Striking across Gaza; says the November 1 attacks in al-Mawasi and Gaza City targeted militants

Israeli military carrying out strikes in Gaza despite the ceasefire.
Gaza Health Ministry
Gaza Health Ministry
Government agency
Counting casualties, with the toll since the ceasefire at 1,581 killed and 5,711 wounded, and pressing for Rafah to open

Reports 1,581 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began and 21,468 patients waiting to leave Gaza for care.
Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Militant group and political organization
Condemned the university attacks as a war crime

Governing authority in Gaza and party to the ceasefire agreement.
PM
Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security
Government agency
Counting police deaths since the ceasefire and condemning the November 1 al-Mawasi strike

Hamas-run ministry that reports deaths among Gaza's police and security personnel.

Timeline

October 2023 November 2026

9 events Latest: November 1st, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Strikes kill eight, including five police officers

    Latest Conflict

    An Israeli drone hit police officers on duty in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, killing five, the Interior Ministry said. A strike in Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood killed three people, including a four-year-old boy, per al-Shifa Hospital. Israel's military said it targeted militants.

  2. Six killed in four strikes across Gaza

    Conflict

    Five people were killed and 10 wounded in a drone strike in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, and three were seriously wounded in a strike in al-Iman, according to reports compiled by JFeed.

  3. Drone and artillery strikes hit central, northern and eastern Gaza

    Conflict

    A drone fired two missiles at a car in Maghazi camp, killing two and wounding others, and artillery hit Shujayea, Tuffah and Zeitoun in eastern Gaza City. Four civilian employees of the Ministry of Economy who monitored aid trucks were buried at Nasser Hospital after a drone strike in al-Mawasi, near the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings.

  4. Health Ministry calls for Rafah crossing to open

    Humanitarian

    The ministry said 21,468 patients and wounded people need care outside Gaza, including 6,430 priority cases, and that repeated border closures had worsened their condition. It said 3,056 patients have been evacuated since February: 2,614 through Rafah and 442 through Karem Abu Salem.

  5. Strikes hit Islamic University and other sites

    Conflict

    Drone and air strikes kill at least seven across Gaza, later reported as eight, including three guards at the university campus; seven students were wounded.

  6. Toll rises to eight; university suspends classes

    Conflict

    Al Jazeera reported the death toll from the day's strikes had risen to eight. The Islamic University suspended in-person classes for the rest of the week.

  7. Israeli military says it diverted part of Gaza City operation

    Military

    The army said on X that it struck a member of Hamas's military wing in Gaza City and diverted the operation after learning civilians were present. It did not say whether the statement covered the university strikes.

  8. Ceasefire takes effect

    Diplomatic

    US-, Egypt- and Qatar-brokered truce pauses major combat operations after two years of war.

  9. Hamas attacks Israel, war begins

    Conflict

    Hamas-led assault on southern Israel kills about 1,200; Israel declares war and begins bombing Gaza.

Scenarios

1

Ceasefire collapses into full-scale war

Possible Resolves by Apr 25, 2027

Discussed by: Analysts tracking the gradual erosion of the truce; Palestinian factions warn of escalation

If Israel continues striking civilian sites and Hamas responds with rocket fire, the ceasefire could unravel completely. Mediators would need to broker a new truce, but previous rounds show each collapse requires a weeks-long conflict before a new deal emerges.

2

Status quo persists: sporadic strikes, no full war

Likely Resolves by Apr 25, 2027

Discussed by: Observers noting the pattern has held for more than a year

The current trajectory — a nominal ceasefire with periodic lethal strikes — has continued since October 2025. Neither side escalates to full war, and the international response remains limited to statements.

3

Mediators impose enforcement mechanism, strikes drop

Unlikely Resolves by Apr 25, 2027

Discussed by: Hamas and Palestinian factions demanding international intervention

The US, Egypt, and Qatar — the ceasefire's guarantors — agree to an enforcement mechanism that penalizes violations. Strike frequency drops measurably. The campus attack and mounting death toll would be the pressure point.

4

Rafah crossing reopens for medical evacuations

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Gaza's Health Ministry and humanitarian agencies pressing Israel and Egypt

Egypt and Israel allow sick and wounded Palestinians to cross at Rafah, and evacuation numbers climb above the roughly 3,000 recorded since February. The ministry has blamed repeated closures for patients dying while waiting for permission to leave.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 2008 - January 2009

Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009)

Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza aimed at stopping rocket fire into its territory. About 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli figures.

Then

Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in January 2009; Hamas announced its own truce days later.

Now

The ceasefire held for years, sharply reducing but not eliminating rocket fire and periodic flare-ups.

Why this matters now

A Gaza ceasefire that actually held, in contrast to the current truce that has not stopped lethal strikes.

July-August 2014

Operation Protective Edge (2014)

A 50-day war that followed the murder of three Israeli teenagers and an Israeli crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank. More than 2,200 Palestinians and about 70 Israelis died.

Then

Egypt brokered a ceasefire in August 2014 that ended the fighting.

Now

The truce largely held for years with periodic flare-ups, until the 2021 conflict.

Why this matters now

Shows the Egypt-brokered ceasefire pattern that has historically ended major Gaza wars — and raises the question of whether the current one can be restored.

May 2021

May 2021 conflict (Guardian of the Walls)

Eleven days of fighting triggered by tensions in Jerusalem, including eviction orders for Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah and clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque. About 260 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died.

Then

An Egypt-brokered ceasefire took effect in late May 2021.

Now

The truce held for over two years, until Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack launched the current war.

Why this matters now

Demonstrates that even fragile ceasefires can last years — and that one major attack can shatter them completely.

Sources

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Al Jazeera The Hindu The Times of Israel Anadolu Agency Xinhua CGTN Middle East Eye BBC News Arabic Middle East Monitor Arab News Japan JFeed Gaza Unlocked Wafa Al Mezan Center for Human Rights Middle East Eye Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Anadolu Agency Middle East Eye BBC News