At least 11 people were killed in separate Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and hospital officials, highlighting the continued violence despite a ceasefire that remains formally in place.
Among those killed were three children and their parents after an apartment building in the north-west of Gaza City was struck, local rescue officials said.
Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency, said, "The family of five died when the residential building was hit.”
He added that one child survived because they were not inside the apartment at the time of the attack.
Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed it had received the bodies of the five family members.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a strike in Gaza City targeting what it described as a Hamas militant.
It also said that the outcome of the operation was still being assessed and did not immediately comment on the reports of civilian deaths.
Residents described scenes of panic following the strike.
One local resident said, "The missile struck without any warning, leaving people little time to react. Another witness said he saw several casualties, including women, children and elderly people, lying outside the damaged building.”
Video from the scene showed significant damage to the apartment block, with rescue workers searching through rubble and assisting injured residents while others attempted to recover personal belongings from the debris.
Elsewhere in Gaza City, three more people were reported killed after an airstrike hit a group of civilians in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, according to the civil defence agency. Al-Shifa Hospital said it had received the bodies.
Later in the day, “a woman was killed after artillery fire struck a tent sheltering displaced people east of Zeitoun,” the agency said.
Al-Ahli Hospital confirmed receiving her body and said several other people, including her daughter, were injured. Rescue officials also reported that three people remained missing following the incident.
Health authorities said, "Two additional people died in separate Israeli attacks elsewhere in Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on those incidents.”
Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in effect, hostilities have continued across the territory, and efforts to secure a permanent agreement to end the conflict have made little progress.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since the truce came into force last October. The ministry operadiedhe Hamas administration, and while its figures are widely cited by international organisations, including the United Nations, they cannot always be independently verified.
The Israeli military says five of its soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Gaza during the same period.
Independent reporting from Gaza remains difficult because of restrictions on media access and the security situation, making it challenging to verify casualty figures and events on the ground.
