Deir Al-Balah, Gaza: Israeli strikes in Gaza on Saturday killed at least six people, including two children and an Al Jazeera cameraman, Palestinian health officials said.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported the casualties as the enclave continued to suffer near‑daily Israeli attacks despite an October ceasefire with Hamas. The ministry says more than 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the truce began.
Early‑Morning Strike Hits Apartment
The first strike struck an apartment in Gaza City at about 2 a.m., the health ministry said. At the scene, an Associated Press reporter described rubble and chunks of concrete stained with blood.
Two sisters — 4‑year‑old Zina and 14‑year‑old Lana — were taken to Shifa Hospital’s morgue, where they lay in white body bags surrounded by relatives. Their cousin, Mohammad Safadi, who suffered a forehead wound, recounted the moment the blast hit. “I was sitting at home. The rocket fell on us without a warning,” he said, adding that his wife was also injured.
“This ceasefire the occupation and the negotiation team speak of … is this really a ceasefire? We are civilians. I never held a weapon,” Safadi said.
The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.
Evening Strikes Kill Four
Later on Saturday evening, three separate Israeli strikes killed four people and wounded at least a dozen. One attack struck a home in the central Bureij refugee camp without warning, killing three people, including Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed Wishah, Al‑Aqsa hospital said. Al Jazeera confirmed Wishah’s death.
Wishah’s brother Mohamed, who worked as an Al Jazeera correspondent, was killed in an Israeli strike in April.
A second strike targeted a group in the sprawling tent camp of Muwasi in southern Gaza, where Nasser hospital reported one person killed and eight wounded. A third strike in Gaza City hit a group of people and wounded at least four, Shifa hospital said.
Israeli Military Statement
In a statement, the Israeli military said the strike that killed the Al Jazeera cameraman was a “precise strike” and asserted that he had been a member of Hamas’ military wing and posed a threat to troops in the area.
Israel says its operations are aimed at Hamas and other militants who threaten Israeli forces. Since the October 2023 offensive began after Hamas‑led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has resulted in heavy Palestinian casualties. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 73,018 Palestinians have been killed overall, a figure that includes those killed since the ceasefire.
The health ministry, though overseen by the Hamas‑led administration, is staffed by medical professionals and keeps detailed casualty records that UN agencies and independent experts generally regard as credible. It does not separate civilians from fighters in its totals and reports that roughly half of the dead are women and children.