Gaza City, 21 June (H.S.):
Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least six people, including two children and an Al Jazeera cameraman, on Saturday, according to Palestinian health officials, as violence continued despite the ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October.
The first strike occurred around 2 a.m. on Saturday when an apartment in Gaza City was hit. Health officials said two sisters, four-year-old Zina Safadi and 14-year-old Lana Safadi, were killed in the attack. Several others, including family members, sustained injuries. Witnesses said the strike came without any prior warning.
Relatives of the victims described scenes of devastation, saying civilians continued to bear the brunt of the conflict despite expectations that the ceasefire would bring greater security. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.
Later on Saturday, three additional Israeli strikes reportedly killed four more people and injured at least a dozen others. One of the attacks struck a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, where Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed Wishah was among those killed. The broadcaster confirmed his death, noting that his brother, journalist Mohamed Wishah, had also been killed in an Israeli strike earlier this year.
Another strike targeted the Muwasi tent camp in southern Gaza, killing one person and injuring eight others, according to hospital officials. A separate strike in Gaza City wounded at least four more people, medical authorities said.
The Israeli military acknowledged carrying out the strike that killed Ahmed Wishah, stating that it was a precise operation. It alleged that Wishah was a member of Hamas' military wing and posed a threat to Israeli forces. Al Jazeera has confirmed his death but has not commented on the military's allegation.
Israel maintains that its operations are directed against Hamas and other militant groups. The military also reported that five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has resulted in more than 73,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run administration, says women and children account for around half of those killed. Its casualty figures are widely monitored by the United Nations and independent humanitarian organisations, although Israel disputes aspects of the data.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
