GAZA CITY: Five Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike late Wednesday in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the territory’s civil defence agency.
The strike reportedly targeted a group of civilians near the Al-Qassam mosque in Beit Lahia, an area that has witnessed repeated violence despite an ongoing ceasefire.
The agency, which functions as a rescue service under Hamas authority, said the victims were transported to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The hospital later confirmed it had received the bodies, though the ages of the children were not disclosed.
According to AFP, the Israeli military said it was reviewing the reports and had not immediately provided further details on the incident.
The latest strike underscores the persistent volatility in Gaza Strip, where a truce that came into effect on October 10 has done little to fully halt hostilities.
Both Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 786 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began.
The ministry operates under Hamas authority, but its casualty figures are widely regarded as credible by the United Nations.
On the Israeli side, the military has reported the deaths of five soldiers in Gaza since the ceasefire took hold.
Efforts to independently verify casualty figures remain constrained due to severe media restrictions and limited access to the enclave, making on-the-ground reporting and verification increasingly difficult.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and although large-scale fighting has subsided, sporadic violence continues to claim lives, including those of civilians.
