Nine Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza City, Including Three Children
Nine Palestinians, including three children, lost their lives when Israeli jets struck Gaza City on Saturday, hospital officials reported. Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmiya said the strikes hit an apartment block in the Nasr neighbourhood and a residential area in Zeitoun.
The first blast struck a high‑rise in Nasr, killing five residents – three of whom were children aged between 8 and 18. Abu Selmiya added that six other occupants were wounded, including four children aged 8 to 16. A second strike in the Zeitoun district killed four people and left one critically injured. Hospital staff confirmed all victims were civilians and found no evidence that they were combatants.
Israel’s military stated that it was targeting Hamas infrastructure and that militants had been located in the struck areas. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) did not disclose specific targets or the identities of the alleged fighters.
These attacks are part of a broader pattern of intensified Israeli strikes across Gaza in recent days, Palestinian sources say. The Gaza Health Ministry, which maintains the Strip’s casualty records, has logged 1,127 Palestinian deaths, including at least 260 children, since the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2023. The ministry also reports that five Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.
The October 2023 ceasefire was intended to halt hostilities between Israel and the Hamas‑led Palestinian Authority. Both sides have accused each other of violating the terms. Israel maintains that it continues to strike only Hamas militants and other threats, while Hamas and Palestinian officials argue that the ceasefire has been breached by Israeli attacks on civilian areas.
The conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants launched an assault on Israeli territory that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and captured 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which began the following day, has been reported by the Gaza Health Ministry to have killed 73,250 Palestinians to date. The ministry’s figures are compiled by medical professionals and are widely cited by United Nations agencies and independent experts.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant casualties. It notes that women and children account for roughly half of all deaths recorded since the ceasefire. The ministry’s data are considered reliable for tracking the humanitarian impact of the conflict.
The latest strikes underscore the persistent volatility of the Gaza Strip, where densely populated neighbourhoods such as Nasr and Zeitoun are frequently targeted. The Israeli military’s stated objective of striking Hamas infrastructure has led to repeated civilian casualties, raising concerns among international observers about compliance with international humanitarian law.
In the days following the attacks, Palestinian health authorities called for enhanced protection of civilian infrastructure and urged the international community to monitor the situation closely. The Israeli government has reiterated its commitment to targeting only legitimate military objectives.
The situation remains fluid, with both sides maintaining that they are acting in self‑defence. The Gaza Health Ministry continues to report new casualties as Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire persist across the Strip.
The latest incidents add to the mounting toll of the ongoing conflict and highlight the challenges of maintaining a ceasefire in a context of continued hostilities and civilian vulnerability.
