DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least nine Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Saturday, including three children, according to hospital officials, as residents reported an uptick in bombardments across the enclave despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October.
Medical staff at Shifa Hospital said an airstrike on an apartment building in the Nasr neighbourhood left five people dead. The casualties included children aged 8 to 18, with six others wounded. Four of those injured were also minors, between 8 and 16, said Mohammed Abu Selmiya, the hospital’s director.
In a separate incident, a strike in the Zeitoun area killed four people and left one person in critical condition, according to health officials. The Israeli military said it had carried out the operations against militant targets, stating that forces struck Hamas infrastructure and had identified militants in the vicinity. In relation to the Zeitoun strike, the military said it targeted a
“Hamas terrorist”and was reviewing the outcome.
Paediatric injuries and hospital pressures
The latest incidents add to a pattern described by Gaza health workers who say children are disproportionately affected when residential buildings are struck. Saturday’s toll included multiple paediatric injuries requiring emergency care. Details provided by Shifa Hospital underscore the continuing pressure on emergency departments to manage trauma cases, with limited resources and ongoing insecurity complicating transfers and treatment.
| Location | Reported deaths | Reported wounded | Children among casualties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasr neighbourhood (apartment) | 5 | 6 | Children killed: 3; children wounded: 4 (ages 8–16) |
| Zeitoun neighbourhood (group outdoors) | 4 | 1 (critical) | Not specified by officials |
Military rationale and contested battlefield
Israel’s military said the strikes were aimed at Hamas infrastructure and personnel, without providing further operational detail for the Gaza City attacks. Officials said they were assessing the results of the strike in Zeitoun. The statements follow repeated assertions from Israeli authorities that they continue to pursue militant targets across Gaza.
Residents and health officials in the territory report that air operations have intensified in recent days. This comes despite an October ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. According to medical authorities cited Saturday, the strikes continue to generate civilian casualties and a steady flow of trauma cases into Gaza’s hospitals.
What we know — and what remains unclear
- Casualties: At least nine people killed in Gaza City, including three children, with additional injuries reported.
- Targets cited: The Israeli military said it struck Hamas infrastructure and a suspected militant in separate operations.
- Escalation reports: Locals describe a recent increase in the scale of strikes across the enclave.
Details on the identities of those killed and the full circumstances around each strike were not immediately available. The Israeli military provided limited information, and said it is reviewing the outcome of at least one of the incidents. Health officials in Gaza say the tally of casualties could change as more information emerges from the affected neighbourhoods.
Health systems under strain
Saturday’s reported casualties highlight the ongoing challenges for hospitals in Gaza, where emergency departments must treat complex blast and crush injuries. The presence of child victims underscores the risks that residential strikes pose to non-combatants in dense urban areas. With power, supplies and staffing frequently disrupted, clinicians describe difficult triage decisions and constraints on definitive care.
Images from central Gaza on Friday showed families at the Mediterranean shoreline, a brief respite amid uncertainty. Yet, as Saturday’s strikes indicate, the situation remains volatile. Health authorities warn that repeated shocks to the medical system risk compounding untreated trauma, delayed rehabilitation and long-term disability — consequences that will extend well beyond the immediate violence.
As with all reports from active conflict zones, casualty figures and circumstances can evolve as new information is verified. Hospital officials in Gaza provided Saturday’s death and injury counts, while Israel’s military offered its account of targeted operations against Hamas. The divergence between battlefield claims and clinical realities remains a defining feature of the information environment surrounding the conflict.
