Israeli fire in Gaza on Sunday killed at least six Palestinians, including a 9-year-old girl, and wounded over a dozen others, according to local health officials.
A drone strike on a blacksmith shop in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood killed at least four Palestinians. Officials at Shifa hospital, where the casualties were taken, confirmed the deaths. The Israeli military acknowledged striking the area, saying it targeted “terrorist infrastructure” without elaborating. It later said it struck a Hamas weapon production site.
Palestinians received an evacuation order from the military following the first strikes. Roughly an hour later, intense airstrikes targeted the same blacksmith shop. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s ambulance service said the strikes in Gaza City wounded 14 people.
In a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli gunfire killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar in a displacement camp in central Gaza, according to officials at the Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it was unaware of such an incident.
Additionally, an Israeli strike on a displacement tent in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis killed one Palestinian, according to health officials at Nasser hospital. Israel’s military said it carried out a strike in that area and called it “part of routine activities,” stating it was not aware of casualties.
The Sunday attacks are part of an ongoing pattern of strikes that have continued since a ceasefire took effect on October 10 of last year. Israeli strikes have lessened considerably since the ceasefire, but they continue almost daily. Israel’s military says it targets Hamas and other militants, often asserting they were planning attacks.
The toll from these continued operations has been significant. At least 1,098 Palestinians, including at least 260 children, have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.
These incidents underscore the humanitarian toll of the ongoing conflict. The ceasefire was brokered between Israel and Hamas following years of escalating violence. The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants that sparked the wider war killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain largely deadlocked over the implementation of the ceasefire’s second phase, which includes the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. The impasse has contributed to the continuation of military operations on both sides.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly. Most of the enclave’s population of over 2 million people remains displaced, with many living in crowded tent camps with little or no basic services or in the ruins of buildings. The displacement camps, where many casualties have occurred, lack adequate shelter and sanitation facilities, leaving residents particularly vulnerable to strikes and disease.
The repeated targeting of civilian areas, including displacement camps and neighborhoods, has drawn international concern about the conduct of military operations and the protection of civilians in conflict zones. Health officials continue to document casualties and provide emergency medical care despite severe resource constraints and infrastructure damage from earlier phases of the conflict.