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Children aged from 17 months to 14 years were killed in the strike, along with three women and four men. The IDF said it was targeting a Hamas militant behind the Oct 7 attack.
More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive. | AFP Image
An Israeli strike killed at least 15 people, including women and children, athered outside a health centre in the central Gazan city of Deir Al Balah on Thursday, according to medical staff and officials in the Hamas-run territory.
At least 8 children aged from 17 months to 14 years were killed in the strike, along with three women and four men, according to the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza. In footage obtained by CNN, several children were seen lying motionless, and others appeared injured amid the sound of screams during an apparent Israeli strike.
The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hamas militant who took part in the group’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that left 1,200 people dead. “The incident is under review. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise harm as much as possible,” the IDF said in a statement to CNN.
17-Month-Old Child Killed
Mohammad, who was just 17 months old, was the youngest victim of the strike. His mother Donia Halhoul said she had been waiting to receive food aid for her children at the centre when the strikes took place.
“I’m in so much pain all over my body, but what hurt me more is that Mohammad died hungry while I was waiting to get him and his siblings’ nutritional supplements,” she said. “He was so young that he had only started to say a few words before he was killed. I was so happy to hear his first words.”
Project HOPE, an American aid organisation, said the strike occurred “directly in front” of one of its health clinics, where people were waiting to receive treatment for “malnutrition, infections, chronic illnesses, and more.” CEO Rabih Torbay said the clinic’s location was shared with the Israeli military and was declared a deconflicted site.
“Yet, this morning, innocent families were mercilessly attacked as they stood in line waiting for the doors to open,” he said. “Horrified and heartbroken cannot properly communicate how we feel anymore.”
Israel-Hamas Truce Talks
Nearly 800 people have been killed by Israeli strikes while waiting for rations in the last six weeks, according to the UN. The latest attacks came as Israel and Hamas were locked in indirect talks in Qatar to try to agree on a temporary ceasefire in the more than 21-month conflict.
Hamas has said the free flow of aid is a main sticking point in the talks, with Gaza’s more than two million residents facing a dire humanitarian crisis of hunger and disease amid the grinding conflict. Despite easing the total blockade of aid, the situation was not showing any signs of improvement.
Moreover, there are frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people seeking aid, but the military has accused militants of firing at civilians in the vicinity of aid centres.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed hope for a 60-day pause in the war and expressed willingness to negotiate a more permanent end to the fighting. At least 57,823 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
(with agency inputs)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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- Location :
Jerusalem, Israel
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