Israeli fire kills 11, some children, Gaza medics say

Israeli fire killed 11 Palestinians, including two boys and three journalists, in separate incidents in Gaza, local medics said, in the latest violence to undermine a three-month ceasefire in the war-torn region.

An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday killed three Palestinian journalists traveling in a car to film a displaced persons camp in central Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.

In a separate incident, Israeli tank shelling of central Gaza killed three people, including a 10-year-old boy, medics said. Two more people, including a 13-year-old boy, were killed in two Israeli shootings in the southern town of Khan Younis, medics said.

The Gaza health ministry said that three more Palestinians were killed in other Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the daily death toll to at least 11.

Commenting on the incident involving journalists, the Israeli army said that soldiers detected “several suspects operating a Hamas-affiliated drone” in central Gaza.

“Following identification and due to the threat the drone posed to the troops, the IDF shot dead the suspects operating the drone,” the military said.

The Palestinian ‍Journalists’ Union said in a statement that the slain journalists “were carrying out a humanitarian and journalistic mission to film and document the suffering of civilians in displaced camps.”

It was not stated whether the three used drones in the shooting. Local journalists said their work was supported by the Egypt Committee, which oversees Egypt’s aid efforts in Gaza.

An Egyptian security source confirmed that the vehicle belonged to the committee but did not provide further details.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on other incidents.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it had documented 206 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since the start of the war. CPJ says Israel has never published the results of an official investigation or held anyone accountable for the killings carried out by its military.

The military says it only targets fighters and military sites.

The Palestinian Journalists Union states that the number of those killed is more than 260.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame over multiple violations of an October ceasefire following two years of war that has devastated Gaza and caused a humanitarian disaster and are at odds over the next steps of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

The agreement did not go beyond a first-stage ceasefire in which major fighting ceased, some Israeli forces withdrew and Hamas released hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.

Future phases, the details of which have not yet been determined, are expected to disarm Hamas, further withdraw Israeli forces and establish an internationally backed administration to rebuild the devastated, densely populated region.

However, no timeline has been set for the implementation of the plan.

Trump was to preside over a ceremony Thursday celebrating the Peace Board, a group he created with the goal of redeveloping the coastal region.

Israel says it can move on to the second phase only after Hamas hands over the remains of the last Israeli hostage.

More than 460 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have reportedly died in clashes since the ceasefire came into force.

According to Israeli calculations, Israel launched the air and ground war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led cross-border attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people. Gaza health officials say 71,000 Palestinians died in the Israeli offensive.