Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images
Middle East Eye (MEE) report by journalist Maha Hussaini documenting the pattern of Israeli remote killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza through military 'lifters' (automated machine-gun towers) and quadcopters during the ceasefire period, with reporting from the June 2026 period. The article follows the case of Khalil al-Masri, a 43-year-old father of 7 shot in the head near a Gaza City sweet shop in June 2026, days before his daughter's wedding, by what witnesses believe was fire from an Israeli quadcopter or military lifter approximately 1.7 kilometers inside the Yellow Zone. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 2023. The ceasefire has brought no meaningful reduction in the pattern of civilian deaths, with Israel killing 992 Palestinians and injuring more than 3,100 since October 2025, while continuing to limit medical evacuations and restrict aid and commercial goods. Recommended for researchers and journalists documenting the gap between ceasefire nomenclature and the lived experience of Palestinians in Gaza during the agreement, with firsthand testimony and specific documented incidents providing evidence of continued remote killing of civilians and the persistence of military violence well into the ceasefire period.
