Israeli Air Strikes Kill at Least 11 in Gaza City, Including Women and Children

At least 11 Palestinians have been killed, including women and children, and dozens wounded in Israeli air strikes across Gaza City, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Israeli aircraft struck at least four residential buildings in the Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa neighbourhoods and Shati refugee camp in the early hours of Thursday, causing powerful explosions and panic among residents.

Among videos posted on social media, said to be the aftermath of the attacks, were distressing images of people trying to leave a building engulfed in fire in Shati camp.

Witnesses told the BBC that three Israeli helicopters hovered briefly over Gaza City's coastline before launching simultaneous strikes on the buildings.

Among those reportedly targeted was a Hamas commander in northern Gaza, Hassan Labad, who was killed along with his wife and three of their children.

A spokesman for the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said the dead included two children with disabilities from the Labad family and three women.

Israel has carried out repeated air strikes in Gaza despite the US-brokered ceasefire deal, accusing Hamas of rearming and rebuilding its forces.

More than 940 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

And with the world's attention focused on conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with a worsening humanitarian crisis and reported plans by Israel to increase the area of land under its control to 70%.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.