Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 4, Including 2 Children

Israeli strikes and tank fire killed at least four Palestinians including two children across the Gaza on Monday. The violence comes just a week after a US delegation urged Israel to scale back its military operations to advance a fragile ceasefire agreement.

Following sudden evacuation warnings an Israeli strike hit a building in the Bureij refugee camp also killing a four-year-old boy and wounding his mother and sister who were unable to flee. In Deir al-Balah and another strike killed a man whom the Israeli military later claimed was a Hamas militant.

The military also reported striking what it described as weapons depots hidden inside mosques in the Shati camp though it provided no evidence to support the claim.

In southern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis killed one man and injured five others. Nearby, Israeli tank fire claimed the life of a 10-year-old girl according to Nasser Hospital officials. The Israeli military did not comment on the airstrike and stated it was unaware of the child's death.

The continued bombardment defies recent US diplomatic efforts. Last week, US negotiator Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge restraint and push forward an October ceasefire deal. Despite the appeal Israel has launched strikes on six of the seven days since the meeting.

Tensions have also escalated over kites flown into Israeli territory. While Hamas dismissed them as harmless children’s toys, Israeli officials threatened to ramp up military action in response.

According to Gaza’s health ministry over 73,420 Palestinians have been killed and 174,360 wounded since the war began in October 2023. At least 1,286 Palestinians have been killed since the recent ceasefire agreement took effect.