GAZA CITY — At least nine Palestinians, including three children, lost their lives Saturday following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, according to hospital officials.
One of the strikes targeted an apartment building in the Nasr neighborhood, claiming the lives of at least five people. Among the dead were children ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old. Mohammed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital — where the victims were brought — confirmed the deaths and noted that six additional people sustained injuries, four of them children between the ages of 8 and 16.
The Israeli military stated it had identified Hamas infrastructure and located militants in the area as the basis for the strike, though it provided no further details.
A second Israeli strike struck a group of people gathered in the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing four individuals and leaving one more in critical condition, according to health officials.
Regarding that strike, the Israeli military said it had targeted what it described as a “Hamas terrorist” and indicated it was still assessing the outcome of the operation.
Residents across Gaza have reported a noticeable escalation in the frequency and intensity of Israeli strikes over the past several days.
Although Israel and the Hamas militant group reached a ceasefire agreement in October, Israeli forces have continued to carry out attacks across the territory on an almost daily basis. Israel maintains that its operations are focused on Hamas and other armed groups that it considers a threat. Both Israel and Hamas have accused the other of violating the terms of the ceasefire.
Since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that at least 1,127 Palestinians have been killed, including no fewer than 260 children. Five Israeli soldiers have also died during that same period.
The conflict was ignited by a Hamas-led militant assault on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage. Israel’s military response has since killed 73,250 Palestinians, according to figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Health Ministry operates under the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical professionals who keep detailed records. United Nations agencies and independent analysts generally consider those records to be reliable. The ministry does not separate civilian deaths from militant deaths in its reporting, but indicates that women and children account for roughly half of all fatalities.
