An Israeli drone strike on Saturday left two Palestinian siblings dead and at least seven others wounded in southern Gaza, according to Nasser hospital, where the victims were brought for treatment.
The attack struck tents housing displaced Palestinians at the large camp of Muwasi, claiming the lives of 15-year-old Islam Moussa and her 30-year-old brother, Abdullah Moussa.
The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out a strike in the Muwasi area, stating it had targeted a Hamas militant, though no additional details were immediately released.
At the hospital, grieving family members gathered in the courtyard, weeping over the bodies wrapped in white burial shrouds.
Separately on Saturday, a loud explosion was reported by Palestinians in Gaza City. According to Shifa hospital, an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in western Gaza City, injuring at least 12 individuals. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s ambulance service reported that two of those hurt were in critical condition and that most of the wounded were women. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on that strike, and the intended target was not immediately known.
Even with a fragile ceasefire reached in October that slowed the most intense fighting between Israel and Hamas, Israel has continued to conduct near-daily strikes and shelling throughout the coastal territory. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement. Israel maintains its strikes are aimed at Hamas fighters and other armed groups posing a threat, carried out in response to ceasefire violations.
Since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza’s Health Ministry — part of the Hamas-led government — reports that Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,030 people in Gaza. The ministry’s casualty figures are considered broadly reliable by United Nations agencies and independent analysts, though they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Last week, the ministry reported that more than 250 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began.
A panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations has accused Israel of deliberately targeting children in Gaza and has repeated allegations that Israel has committed genocide in the territory. Israel firmly denies the genocide accusation.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in 251 individuals being taken hostage. Israel’s military response in Gaza has since killed more than 73,050 Palestinians, including those killed after the ceasefire went into effect, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
