‘There’s no ceasefire’: Gaza paramedic and father of two killed as civilian death toll since October passes 650

Despite the supposed end of the fighting last year, casualties in the territory continue to rise, with volunteer ambulance driver Abed Elrahman Hamdouna joining the long list of those killed by Israeli forces Of all their seven children, Abed Elrahman Hamdouna’s parents worried about him the most during the war in Gaza. Hamdouna was a volunteer ambulance driver in northern Gaza, “risking his life to help people who were injured”, says his father, Hosny Hamdouna. They knew about the repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza’s health facilities which have claimed the lives of hundreds of healthcare workers. So when a ceasefire was reached in October 2025, they were cautiously relieved. But that relief turned to shock after Hamdouna, a 31-year-old father of two, was killed in a reported drone strike west of Gaza City two weeks ago, as he was on his way to a family Ramadan iftar, to break fast with his brothers. His death is a shocking reality check on the large numbers of civilians that continue to die in Gaza. Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October last year, Israel has killed 677 and injured a further 1,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israeli strikes