At least five people have been killed in recent Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities. On Monday, two individuals lost their lives when an air strike targeted a crowd gathered near a municipal public park in Gaza City, a location currently serving as a shelter for numerous displaced families. In a separate incident, an air strike on a vehicle in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood of western Gaza City resulted in at least three additional deaths.
The Israeli military stated that these operations were aimed at Hamas fighters, though no evidence was provided to support the claim. Following the attacks, friends and relatives gathered at al-Shifa Hospital—the region’s largest medical facility—to pay their respects before transporting the victims to a cemetery for burial.
These strikes occur as part of a broader escalation in military activity across the Gaza Strip, despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October. Recent days have also seen an attack in Deir el-Balah that claimed the lives of two Palestinians, including a three-year-old child, while at least four others were killed in separate incidents on Saturday. Amjad Abu Abdo, a relative of one of the victims, expressed the ongoing distress of the population, stating, “There is no ceasefire. There has not been one good day in Gaza since October 7, 2023. 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 individuals remain missing and are presumed dead under the rubble. Since the start of the conflict in October 2023, the total death toll has reached nearly 73,500, with approximately 174,500 people injured, the majority being women and children.
In addition to the civilian toll, the Israeli military has reported the deaths of five soldiers and one civilian contractor within its own ranks since the hostilities began last October.