Gaza conflict: eight Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes

Three fatalities were reported following an Israeli air raid in Gaza City, medical sources confirmed.

Separately, the interior ministry stated that five police officers were killed in a strike in western Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military acknowledged conducting strikes targeting militants in Khan Younis, but did not provide further details. They have not yet commented on the incident in Gaza City.

Israel has intensified its strikes against Hamas in recent weeks, alleging that the group has been rearming and launching attacks in breach of a ceasefire agreement established a year ago.

Hamas rejects these claims, asserting that Israel is the party undermining the Gaza peace deal.

The ceasefire, brokered by the United States last year, envisions the reconstruction of Gaza, but progress has been hampered by disagreements over Hamas disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawal – Israeli forces currently control approximately two-thirds of the territory.

Over two million residents are largely confined to the remaining third of the enclave, residing in makeshift shelters and damaged structures, and remain under Hamas’s effective control.

Since the ceasefire, at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to local health officials. Israel reports that four soldiers have been killed.

Palestinian authorities report that more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military operations, which began after Hamas-led fighters killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.