Israeli strikes kill three Palestinians in Gaza, reports say
Palestinian officials reported new deaths in Gaza as rights and religious bodies described detainee transfers, raids and restrictions in the West Bank.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Israeli attacks killed at least three Palestinians in Gaza and wounded others on Sunday, according to Palestinian officials, as strikes hit northern Gaza and a tent shelter in the south. The reports came alongside accounts of widened Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank and restrictions at major Muslim holy sites.
Palestinian news agency Wafa said an Israeli drone attack struck the al-Salatin area west of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, killing at least two people and injuring at least one other.
In Khan Younis, Israeli forces bombed a tent used by displaced Palestinians, according to the report. Medical staff at Nasser Medical Complex said the hospital received the body of one unidentified person after the strike, and several wounded people were taken for treatment.
Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Gaza City, said Israeli air attacks had intensified on Saturday and had focused on makeshift tents, including in Gaza City and al-Mawasi. He said al-Mawasi had been identified as a safe zone under ceasefire-related maps reached last year.
Abu Azzoum also said Israeli ground operations had expanded in eastern parts of Gaza City, including around what he described as the yellow demarcation line.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said hospitals received three bodies and treated 43 wounded people over the previous 24 hours. The ministry said Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 73,054 Palestinians and wounded 173,480 since October 7, 2023, describing the campaign as genocide.
Released detainees and access demands
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it assisted in transferring 14 Palestinians released from Israeli captivity from the Kerem Abu Salem crossing to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza. The ICRC said it also helped the released detainees contact and reunite with relatives.
The organization said it has helped transfer more than 2,500 released detainees through the same arrangement since 2023. It said Israeli authorities have not permitted ICRC visits to Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centers since October 2023.
The ICRC said authorities must provide information on the fate and location of all detainees, allow visits and ensure detainees can communicate with their families.
Raids and restrictions in the West Bank
In occupied East Jerusalem, the Islamic Waqf Department said 110 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under Israeli police protection. The Waqf said they entered through the Mughrabi Gate, moved through the courtyards and performed rituals in the eastern part of the site that it described as provocative.
The Waqf said Israeli police imposed tight limits on Palestinian worshippers, blocked some from entering, harassed others and confiscated identity cards at outside gates.
In Hebron, Israeli forces prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque for an eighth straight day, according to Wafa. Munjid al-Ja’bari, the mosque’s director, told Wafa that Israeli forces had barred the call to prayer at all prayer times during that period and said the measures were meant to extend Israeli control over the mosque and drive worshippers away.
Wafa reported that Israeli forces shot a young Palestinian man in the foot with live ammunition during a raid on Qalandiya camp north of occupied Jerusalem and arrested two others. It said Israeli forces also arrested two young men in Beit Sahour in the Bethlehem governorate after searching a family home.
In the Nablus area, Wafa said Israeli forces arrested 11 Palestinians after searching homes in several locations. It also reported a raid in Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, where Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians, including journalist Anas al-Hawari, and destroyed a vehicle.
The Palestinian NGO Network called for international pressure to free detained doctors, naming Mazen al-Rantisi, Khaled Ayash and Hussam Abu Safia. The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said Palestinian women held in Damon prison face harsh conditions and loss of basic rights, including the case of Lina Muhammad Wazwaz, a teacher and mother of four who it said was injured after her arrest and during a prison raid.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.