Hospital officials in Gaza report that an Israeli airstrike on Monday resulted in the deaths of a Palestinian woman and a young girl in the southern region of the territory.
According to the Kuwait field hospital that treated the victims, the attack targeted a temporary shelter housing a displaced family in Muwasi, located on Khan Younis’ western edge. Medical staff confirmed that another young girl sustained injuries in the incident.
Israeli military officials acknowledged conducting a strike against what they described as a militant target, though they provided no additional information about the operation.
These deaths add to the ongoing casualties among Palestinians in the territory following an October ceasefire agreement that sought to end more than two years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas group controlling Gaza. Despite the reduction in major combat operations, the fragile truce continues to experience nearly continuous Israeli military action.
Since the ceasefire began, Israeli military operations including repeated aerial bombardments and regular gunfire targeting Palestinians in proximity to military-controlled areas have resulted in over 880 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
While the ministry operates under Hamas leadership, United Nations agencies and independent experts generally consider its casualty reporting credible. However, the ministry does not distinguish between civilian and militant fatalities in its counts.
Palestinian militants have conducted armed attacks against Israeli forces, with Israel justifying its military responses as necessary to address ceasefire violations or protect its personnel from threats. Israeli military casualties since the truce began total four soldiers.
