Eight-year-old child reported killed in new Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday killed five people, including an eight-year-old child, local health authorities reported. The attacks underscore the ongoing violence despite an official ceasefire that began in October, with negotiations for a lasting peace agreement having stalled.

One strike, attributed to an Israeli drone, hit a group of civilians in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killing three people and wounding several others, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital. Gaza's civil defense authority confirmed the attack targeted an area in the central Palestinian territory. An unnamed Israeli military source confirmed the strike.

Later on Monday, two more people were killed and over 27 injured when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent on the beach in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Nasser Hospital in the city confirmed receiving the bodies. The Israeli military stated it struck what it described as a Hamas terrorist and that it takes all measures to minimize civilian casualties.

According to Gaza's health authorities, at least 1,045 Palestinians have been killed in the area since the ceasefire began on October 10. The UN considers these figures reliable. The Israeli military reported losing five soldiers in Gaza during the same period. The war, which began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 1,200 deaths in Israel and the taking of about 250 hostages. The subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza aimed at freeing hostages and dismantling Hamas has led to over 73,000 Palestinian deaths.