Gaza strikes kill five, set fire to refugee camp

Five people were killed in Gaza on Monday as Israeli forces conducted ground and air operations across the territory. Medical sources and first responders confirmed that four Palestinians died in an air strike on a camp for displaced people in Khan Younis, located in the southern part of the strip. A fifth person was killed in a separate drone attack on the Remal neighbourhood, west of Gaza City, where a drone struck a group of displaced people in a tent.

The strikes occurred against a backdrop of ongoing military pressure. Palestinian Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported that a total of 11 people had been killed and 50 wounded by Israeli fire and air strikes in the 24 hours preceding his statement. Basal told the AFP news agency, “We transported three martyrs, including a child, following an Israeli air strike targeting a camp for displaced people in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis.” Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis initially confirmed three deaths, a figure that later rose to at least four according to emergency services.

Gaza’s Ministry of Education identified the victims in Khan Younis as Hossam al-Zamli, 21, Tamer Abu Sneima, 24, and Jouri al-Soufi, who was seven years old. A source at the hospital stated that the bodies were torn apart by direct hits from shrapnel from an Israeli missile. The hospital also noted that several wounded individuals, including a child and a woman, were brought in for treatment following the impact.

In a related incident on Sunday night, Israeli forces set fire to a camp for displaced people at the Shujayea junction. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing said Israeli quadcopter drones started the blaze at about 8pm. Fires consumed tents and personal belongings for several hours, with the flames continuing past midnight. The incident forcibly displaced more than 200 families, which amounted to over 800 people, mostly women, children, elderly people, and patients.

The ministry condemned the destruction and called for urgent international aid to provide shelter and essential supplies to the displaced families. As of Monday, Israeli operations in Gaza have killed at least 74,555 people and injured 175,727. Medical sources indicated that since the United States-brokered ceasefire on October 11 last year, the number of people killed has risen to 1,559, while the number of injured has reached 5,608. Many victims remain trapped under rubble, with ambulance and rescue crews unable to reach them.