At least five people have been killed in a series of Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials. On Monday, an attack targeting a crowd near a municipal public park in Gaza City—a location densely populated by displaced families—resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries. In a separate incident, a vehicle in the western Gaza City neighbourhood of Tal al-Hawa was struck, leaving at least three individuals dead.
The Israeli military stated that both operations were aimed at Hamas fighters, though no evidence was provided to support the claim. Following the strikes, friends and relatives gathered at al-Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest medical facility, to pay their respects before proceeding to a cemetery for burials.
These incidents occur amid a broader escalation of hostilities in recent days, despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October. The violence has continued to claim lives daily, including an attack on Sunday in Deir el-Balah that killed two Palestinians, one of whom was a three-year-old child. On Saturday, at least four additional people were killed in separate strikes.
Amjad Abu Abdo, a relative of one of the victims killed on Monday, expressed deep frustration with the ongoing situation. “There is no ceasefire. There has not been one good day in Gaza since October 7, 2023,” he stated. “I swear, we do not sleep from the sound of drones. You sleep scared of being hit.”
Data from the Gaza Ministry of Health indicates that 1,313 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. Furthermore, the Palestinian Centre for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons reported on Saturday that between 4,000 and 5,000 people remain missing, feared dead under the rubble. Since the conflict began in October 2023, the total death toll has reached nearly 73,500, with approximately 174,500 people injured, the majority of whom are women and children. The Israeli military has reported five deaths among its own ranks since October, alongside the death of one civilian contractor.
Source: Al Jazeera
