Gaza Under Fire: Israeli Attacks Claim Lives of Four, Including a Child

At least four Palestinians, including a child, have been killed in central and southern Gaza due to ongoing Israeli attacks, according to medical sources. Israeli forces continue their near-daily strikes in the enclave.

Medical sources at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah reported that Abdul Rahim Walid Matar, 27, died at dawn on Thursday when an Israeli drone fired two missiles at a tent sheltering displaced individuals west of az-Zawayda. Meanwhile, Nasser Medical Complex stated that a woman was killed and two others injured by Israeli fire outside areas under Israeli military control in Khan Younis.

A child was killed by Israeli fire in Bureij refugee camp, a source at al-Awda Hospital confirmed. Al Jazeera’s Ashraf Amra, reporting from Deir el-Balah, stated that Israeli forces opened direct fire on homes and tents in eastern Bureij, resulting in the child's immediate death. Amra also noted that Israeli forces on the edges of the area overlooking al-Mawasi were firing heavily towards tents housing displaced people. A man inside his tent was critically wounded and underwent surgery at Nasser Medical Complex.

Another drone strike in Az-zawaya claimed one life, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera, bringing the total death toll to four. Additionally, an Israeli drone struck a gathering of residents in the al-Baraka area of Deir el-Balah, wounding several people, one critically.

In the north, a Palestinian was wounded when a drone struck an apartment in al-Karama, northwest of Gaza City, a source at al-Shifa Hospital informed Al Jazeera. Israeli artillery heavily shelled eastern Gaza City, and naval vessels fired towards the coastline.

Local sources reported heavy firing from Israeli military vehicles around the Hosni al-Musaddar Mosque east of Maghazi camp, with a drone dropping a bomb nearby, though no injuries were reported. Residents east of Khan Younis described two powerful explosions as the army detonated homes and civilian facilities within controlled areas.

Amra further reported that Israeli forces were advancing on the eastern edges of al-Musaddar and Deir el-Balah, bulldozing homes and farmland and expanding territory behind the so-called “Yellow Line”.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Wednesday that three Palestinians had been killed and 21 wounded in the preceding 24 hours, with one of the three succumbing to earlier wounds. The ministry indicates that 1,602 Palestinians have been killed and 5,794 wounded since the ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025. The overall toll since October 2023 stands at 74,618 killed and 175,920 wounded. Gaza’s Government Media Office stated on Monday that Israel had committed 5,989 ceasefire violations since the truce began, including 753 in October, comprising 346 shootings, 310 bombardments, and 64 home demolitions.