Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza, including 3 children

Associated Press

Deir al-Balah: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including three children and two high-ranking officers in the Hamas-run police force, according to Palestinian and hospital officials. One strike early Thursday hit a tent in an Israelideclared humanitarian zone known as Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in tents during the cold and rainy winter. Another strike killed at least eight Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip. The dead were members of local committees that help secure aid convoys, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. An Associated Press reporter at the hospital confirmed the toll.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. The war was sparked by Hamas-led militants' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. They killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 that day. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel's offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, as per local health officials, who say women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their tally. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has condemned the Palestinian Authority's decision to bar it from operating in the occupied West Bank, saying the decision was in line with similar actions taken by Israel.

In a statement Thursday, the Qatar-based broadcaster accused the Western-backed authority of seeking to hide the truth about events in the occupied territories, especially what is happening in Jenin and its camps. Palestinian Authority launched a rare crackdown on anti-Israel militants in the urban Jenin refugee camp last month. The authority has international support but is unpopular among many Palestinians.