At least six Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air attack on a tent camp sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, according to local medical sources, in the latest deadly incident despite a ceasefire that has failed to halt violence in the enclave.
A source at al-Shifa Hospital told reporters that at least 15 others were injured in Saturday’s strike, with several victims requiring intensive care. Women and children were believed to be among the casualties, and local officials warned that the death toll could rise.
The strike hit a United Nations school compound that had been converted into a shelter for displaced people. Witnesses described a large explosion followed by panic as families fled the site and civilian vehicles rushed the wounded to hospital.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza City, Hani Mahmoud, said the attack struck a tent beside another tent where people appeared to be holding a wedding gathering. “People were seen running out of the displacement site into the streets,” he reported.
The Israeli military told AFP it had “targeted terrorists in that sector,” but did not provide further details. Reuters, citing Gaza health officials, reported that Saturday’s strike killed at least seven people, including two women, and wounded 15 others.
The attack was one of several reported across Gaza on Saturday. Local medical sources said a separate strike in Khan Younis killed a man who was due to be married later in the day. In Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood, Israeli tanks and quadcopter drones reportedly opened fire near a children’s hospital.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the Gaza City strike as a “horrific massacre” and accused Israel of trying to undermine the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10. Israel has repeatedly said its post-ceasefire operations are aimed at preventing militant threats and targeting armed fighters.
The violence comes as Hamas representatives, mediators and other Palestinian factions prepare for talks in Egypt on the future of the ceasefire process. A meeting originally planned for Wednesday was postponed, with discussions expected to focus on implementing the first phase of the agreement and advancing a stalled second phase.
The first phase involved the release of the last Israeli captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. The second phase is expected to address Hamas’s disarmament, the deployment of international forces, border crossings, aid access and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Reuters reported that since the ceasefire began, about 950 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza while four Israeli soldiers have died, underscoring the fragility of the truce and the difficulty of moving negotiations forward.
