Israeli strikes on Gaza tents kill eight despite October ceasefire

Deiral-balah,UPDATED: Jun 30, 2026 01:50 IST

Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza on Monday killed at least eight people, including two children, and wounded at least 20 others, according to health officials and emergency services. The attacks hit tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, as Israeli forces continued near-daily strikes despite a ceasefire that took hold in October.

In a separate development in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 15-year-old boy from Jerusalem was killed by a gunshot to the head during an Israeli raid near Ramallah. The Israeli military did not comment immediately.

In Khan Younis, a strike hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi area after a warning call, killing a 23-year-old mother and her one-year-old daughter, according to Nasser Hospital. Earlier in the day, another strike on Qarara, northwest of the city, killed a 31-year-old man, the hospital said. It added that he had married only a few months ago and left behind a pregnant wife.

In another incident in the same area, a strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people along the coastal area of Khan Younis, killing two people and wounding 13 others, according to Nasser Hospital and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The wounded were taken to a Palestinian Red Crescent field hospital in Al-Mawasi.

In central Gaza, a drone strike hit a tent in Deir al-Balah, killing at least three Palestinians, including an 8-year-old boy and his grandfather, medical officials said. Health authorities said the strike hit a neighbourhood in Deir al-Balah, one of the least damaged towns in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital identified the dead as Hassan al-Hanagra and his 8-year-old grandchild, Malik Abu Shawish, along with another man.

Hospital officials said Abu Shawish, whose parents are divorced, was visiting his mother's tent when the strike hit. His mother was among seven people wounded. Israel's military said the strike was targeting a militant, but did not immediately name him or say whether he had been killed.

The Israeli military said a strike in southern Gaza on Sunday killed Zaher Abu Salem, whom it described as a member of Islamic Jihad involved in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war. Four people were killed on Sunday in a series of strikes around Gaza, including 13-year-old Eileen al-Farra, who was hit by shrapnel from Israeli tank shelling and was buried on Monday.

While the heaviest fighting has eased since the October ceasefire, health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes have since killed 1,045 Palestinians, including more than 360 women and children. Israel has said it is targeting militants and has often said they were planning attacks on Israeli troops who control more than 60 per cent of the Gaza Strip. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in militant attacks since the ceasefire.

The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, keeps detailed casualty records that are regarded as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants. According to the ministry, Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,058 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire. The Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

In the West Bank, emergency crews took Amir Jaber to hospital from the al-Bireh area after trying to revive him at the scene, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said. It also reported that two people were injured by Israeli fire in a raid near Hebron, the West Bank's most populous city. The raid near Ramallah, the Palestinians' administrative capital in the West Bank, was one of around half a dozen reported across the territory on Monday by the Palestinian news agency WAFA. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that at least 59 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank this year.

Overall, Monday's violence included deadly strikes on tents in Gaza and a fatal shooting during a raid in the West Bank, underscoring the continued toll of Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories.

With PTI Inputs

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