An Israeli air raid on a residential building in Gaza City left at least 10 people dead. Four of those killed were children, according to health officials. More than 20 other people were injured in the late-Wednesday attack in northern Gaza.
The strike hit as residents remained worried that further attacks could follow despite a nominal ceasefire. Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary reported from Gaza City that children had been playing in a nearby park when the building was attacked. She said fear of Israeli strikes was making some parents reluctant to leave homes or tents with their children.
The raid occurred hours after Palestinians attended the funeral of Mohammad Odeh, who headed Hamas's armed wing. Odeh was killed in a separate Israeli attack on Tuesday, together with his wife and son. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Odeh had served as Hamas's intelligence chief during the October 7, 2023 attacks and had been named head of the armed wing the previous week. His predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, had also been killed by Israel days earlier.
The latest casualties added to concern that Israel and Hamas could return to a broader war. Each side has accused the other of breaching the ceasefire that took effect in October. Israel says Hamas's refusal to disarm is a central obstacle, while Hamas says negotiations have been hindered by continued attacks and limits on humanitarian supplies entering Gaza.
Gaza's Government Media Office said on Wednesday that it had recorded 3,005 Israeli violations during the first 227 days of the agreement. It also said 49,973 aid trucks had entered the territory out of 135,600 envisaged under the deal, which it calculated as compliance of no more than 36%. Those figures came from the Gaza authority and were not independently verified in the supplied account.
Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday that 16 people had been killed and 39 wounded across the territory during the previous 48 hours. It put the cumulative toll since October 2023 at 72,819 deaths and 172,894 injuries. The ministry also reported 922 Palestinians killed and 2,786 wounded since the ceasefire began.
The immediate focus after the Gaza City strike was on treating the wounded and on families' safety amid the possibility of more attacks. The reported deaths of four children underscored the continuing civilian cost during a period formally described as a ceasefire but marked by repeated violence. Officials reported more than 20 injuries from the residential-building attack alone, compared with 39 injuries counted across Gaza during the ministry's broader 48-hour reporting period.
