GAZA CITY: At least eight people were killed and 22 others injured in an Israeli airstrike near a market in central Gaza on Friday, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and local health officials.
The strike targeted the Al-Balata market area in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where a funeral procession was taking place, civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said.
Al-Awda Hospital said it received the bodies of eight people killed in the attack, along with 22 wounded.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the strike, saying it had targeted a cell belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group in central Gaza.
In a statement, the military said it was aware of reports that civilians had been harmed and that the outcome of the operation was under review.
Health officials and the civil defence agency also reported that five other people, including two women, were killed in separate Israeli strikes across Gaza on Friday.
Also Read: Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Police Station Kills Eight
Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in effect, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, while efforts to negotiate a permanent end to the conflict have stalled.
Israel has continued to carry out military operations in Gaza since a US-mediated ceasefire with Hamas came into force in October, saying it is targeting fighters who threaten Israeli forces or participated in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.
Nikolay Mladenov, head of the Board of Peace established under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, has said both Israel and Hamas have breached the ceasefire.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect in October. The Israeli military has reported the deaths of five soldiers and one civilian contractor during the same period.
