According to medics, at least 18 Palestinians lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, while the Israeli military stated it aimed at gunmen operating from shelters and aid storage facilities.
Medics reported that at least 10 individuals were killed in an airstrike near the municipality building in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, where people had gathered to collect aid.
Casualties were transported on foot, in rickshaws, and private vehicles from the attack site to the hospital, medics indicated. This strike resulted in the death of the head of the Hamas-run administrative committee in central Gaza, according to a Hamas source.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military mentioned that they were investigating the report. Previously, Israeli aircraft targeted militants and weapon caches close to an aid warehouse, as the military stated that gunmen had fired rockets into Israel from that location.
The UNRWA Al-Majda Wasila Governmental School, which is accommodating displaced Palestinians, was also struck.
The military indicated that it was unclear if any of the other deceased were fighters, asserting that precautions were taken to minimize civilian casualties.
A separate airstrike in Gaza City resulted in the death of a local journalist, according to medics. The military is looking into this report, as stated by a spokesperson.
The conflict in Gaza erupted when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 individuals, primarily civilians, and the abduction of over 250 hostages back to Gaza, as reported by Israeli authorities.
In response, Israel initiated a comprehensive air, sea, and land offensive that has reportedly killed at least 44,000 individuals, mainly civilians, according to claims from authorities in Hamas-run Gaza, displacing nearly the entire population and leaving a significant portion of the territory in ruins.
Recent weeks have seen a renewed effort by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to establish a truce.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi engaged in discussions with visiting US officials regarding efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a potential hostages-for-prisoners agreement, according to his office.
