An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed five people, including two children, and wounded 32 others on Wednesday, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. The strike hit near the Kuwaiti field hospital in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, targeting a shelter camp, said spokesperson Mahmud Bassal.
The victims included an eight-year-old and a 10-year-old, the hospital confirmed. The Israeli military said it struck a "Hamas terrorist" in southern Gaza after a clash with militants that left five soldiers wounded.
The incident threatens a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that began on 10 October. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating its terms. The Israeli military reported that during an operation in eastern Rafah, soldiers encountered militants emerging from a tunnel, resulting in one severely injured and three moderately injured soldiers.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said there was "something fundamentally wrong" with Israel's military operation in Gaza, citing "total neglect" of civilian deaths. He noted that while Gaza is destroyed, Hamas is not yet destroyed, raising strong reasons to believe war crimes have been committed.
The Gaza war began with Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack, which killed 1,221 people in Israel. Israel's subsequent assault has killed at least 70,117 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Since the ceasefire, 360 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed.
