A Palestinian civilian was killed by Israeli gunfire in southern Gaza on the first day of Ramadan, as shooting and shelling were reported across multiple areas of the Strip despite the ongoing ceasefire. Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was reportedly killed by friendly fire during operations inside Khan Yunis.
Key Developments
- A 20-year-old Palestinian, Muhand Jamal al-Najjar, was shot dead east of Khan Yunis.
- Israeli occupation forces opened fire and shelled several locations across Gaza during the first day of Ramadan.
- Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began.
- An Israeli paratrooper was killed by friendly fire inside the Yellow Line area in Khan Yunis.
Killing in Khan Yunis
A Palestinian man was killed on Wednesday after Israeli occupation forces opened fire east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to medical sources.
Nasser Hospital confirmed that the victim, identified as Muhand Jamal al-Najjar, 20, died after being shot near the Bani Suheila roundabout.
مجمع ناصر الطبي يقول إن فلسطينيا استشهد بنيران جيش الاحتلال قرب مناطق انتشاره في بلدة بني سهيلا شرقي خان يونس.. التفاصيل مع مراسل الجزيرة شادي شامية#الأخبار pic.twitter.com/mnQSb9uVlB
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) February 18, 2026
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli military vehicles stationed in eastern Khan Yunis began heavy gunfire early in the morning hours, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The shooting occurred on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as Israeli occupation forces simultaneously fired near the Morag axis north of Rafah and shelled eastern areas of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
In northern Gaza, Israeli vehicles fired toward eastern Beit Lahia, while artillery targeted the vicinity of Al-Sikka Street east of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. No immediate injuries were reported in those attacks, Anadolu reported.
Ceasefire under Strain
A US-backed ceasefire has technically been in place since October, ending Israel’s two-year war that has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others.
However, Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli forces have continued near-daily violations through gunfire and shelling.
With al-Najjar’s killing, the death toll since the ceasefire rose to 604 Palestinians, alongside 1,618 wounded and hundreds of bodies recovered from the rubble.
The continued firing across multiple areas on the first day of Ramadan underscores how the ceasefire has not translated into calm on the ground, particularly in eastern Gaza where Israeli forces remain deployed near buffer zones.
I have been to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis March 2024, sept-oct 2025, and multiple times since 2013.
I have not once seen any evidence that the hospital is being used for anything but to provide health services, and I’ve been free to walk freely around the entire grounds of… pic.twitter.com/eHkXx49Xfw
— Ben Thomson 🇵🇸 (He/Him) (@BenNephrology) February 18, 2026
Israeli Soldier Killed
Separately, the Israeli occupation army announced that one of its soldiers from the reconnaissance unit of the Paratroopers Brigade was killed by friendly fire during an operation inside the so-called Yellow Line area in Khan Yunis.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the soldier, identified as Ofri Yaffa, was shot shortly before 2 AM after another Israeli unit misidentified his force as hostile and opened fire. A medical evacuation team was dispatched, but he died before reaching hospital care.
The army said an internal investigation had been launched to determine the circumstances of the incident.
According to Israeli Army Radio, at least 72 Israeli soldiers have been killed in similar “operational incidents” — including friendly fire and accidents — since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
(PC, WAFA, Anadolu, Al-Jazeera)
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