Israeli attacks in Gaza kill at least three as strikes and West Bank raids intensify
Israeli attacks in Gaza kill at least three and wound dozens; assaults spread into the West Bank while the ICRC reports detainee transfers amid constrained access.
Israeli attacks in Gaza on Sunday killed at least three Palestinians and wounded several others, witnesses and medical officials said, as air and drone strikes continued across the enclave and raids expanded into the occupied West Bank. The violence included a drone strike in northern Gaza and a separate missile attack on a tent shelter for displaced people in Khan Younis, bringing renewed international concern about civilian protection in the enclave. Local hospitals treated dozens of injured patients and received fatalities amid mounting pressure on medical facilities.
Casualties and local impact
Reports from Gaza describe damage to residential areas and makeshift shelters following air and drone strikes, with emergency responders working to evacuate the wounded from hit sites. Palestinian medics said several people were injured when a missile struck a tent housing displaced families in Khan Younis, and at least one unidentified body was brought to Nasser Medical Complex. Civilian neighbourhoods that house families displaced by earlier fighting have again become targets of strikes, compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Drone strike west of Beit Lahiya and shelter attack in Khan Younis
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that an Israeli drone struck the al-Salatin area west of Beit Lahiya, killing at least two people and wounding another, according to local sources. In the south, witnesses said an Israeli warplane fired on a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, wounding multiple people who were taken to hospital for treatment. The incidents underscore the risks to civilians sheltering in informal camps and tents across Gaza.
ICRC facilitates transfers but flags access limits
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it assisted in transferring 14 Palestinians released by Israel from the Kerem Abu Salem crossing to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, and helped reconnect them with their families. The ICRC noted it has facilitated the transfer of more than 2,500 released detainees through the same mechanism since 2023, a process aimed at ensuring medical care and family contact after release. Despite that work, the agency said Israeli authorities have not permitted access to Palestinian detainees held inside Israeli detention centres since October 2023, and it called for disclosure of detainees’ status and unhindered family communication.
Health Ministry figures and hospital caseload
Gaza’s Health Ministry provided an updated toll, stating that at least 73,054 Palestinians have been killed and 173,480 wounded since October 7, 2023, figures that reflect the broader humanitarian scale of the conflict. Hospitals in the enclave reported receiving three bodies and treating 43 wounded patients over the preceding 24-hour period, according to ministry data. Medical facilities, already operating under strain from years of blockade and repeated conflict, continue to face shortages of supplies, staffing challenges and repeated influxes of casualties.
Field observations and expansion of ground activity
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum said strikes have intensified in recent days, with particular focus on makeshift tented areas and zones previously designated as safe under ceasefire arrangements. He described an expansion of Israeli ground activity into eastern parts of Gaza City, with forces advancing the yellow demarcation line used in earlier arrangements. The on-the-ground shifts have drawn concern from humanitarian groups about the erosion of safe spaces for civilians.
West Bank raids and Al-Aqsa access incidents
In occupied East Jerusalem, the Islamic Waqf Department reported that some 110 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy Israeli police protection, touring the courtyards and conducting rituals in sensitive areas of the site. Authorities reportedly imposed tight restrictions on Palestinian worshippers entering the compound, including identity checks and blocked access at external gates. These movements at one of the city’s most contested religious sites have inflamed local tensions and prompted statements from Palestinian officials.
Restrictions at mosques and arrests across the West Bank
Israeli forces have prevented the call to prayer at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque for an eighth consecutive day, according to the mosque director, who said the restrictions aim to tighten control and reduce worshipper presence. Security operations across the West Bank included a raid on Qalandiya camp where a young Palestinian man was shot in the foot and two others were arrested, as well as searches and detentions in Beit Sahour and multiple neighbourhoods of Nablus. In Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, forces detained two Palestinians, including a journalist, and damaged a vehicle during the operation.
Civil society concerns and prisoners’ conditions
Palestinian civil society groups warned that recent operations are increasingly targeting medical workers, human rights defenders and NGOs, and urged international pressure to secure the release of detained professionals. The Palestinian NGO Network called for intervention to free detained doctors and health personnel, while the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs highlighted deteriorating conditions for women held in Damon prison. The commission cited individual cases of alleged mistreatment, including reports that a detained mother of four suffered injuries and painful restraints during arrest and subsequent prison raids.
The renewed pattern of airstrikes in Gaza and aggressive operations in the West Bank have tightened pressure on an already fragile humanitarian situation, prompting calls from aid agencies for unhindered access to civilians and detainees. International organisations and local health authorities say ensuring the safety of medical facilities, allowing family contact with detainees and protecting places of worship must be priorities amid ongoing hostilities.
