Israeli Airstrikes Kill Three Palestinians in Gaza
Ali Mustafa
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed three Palestinians on Sunday, as attacks also targeted displaced persons' tents in Khan Younis. Restrictions at the Al-Aqsa and Ibrahimi mosques continued, and Palestinian groups condemned escalating raids on medical workers and detainees.
Israel continued its attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, an Israeli drone struck the al-Salatin area, west of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza on Sunday, killing at least two people and wounding at least one other.
In southern Gaza, Israeli forces bombed a tent shelter for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. Israeli fighter jets fired missiles at the tent, leaving several people wounded and requiring hospital treatment. Medical staff at the Nasser Medical Complex said they received the body of an unidentified person after the attack.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had facilitated the transfer of 14 Palestinians detained by Israel from the Kerem Abu Salem crossing to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, also helping them contact and reunite with their families. The ICRC said that since 2023 it has helped transfer more than 2,500 Palestinians released under a similar mechanism. However, the organization accused Israel of not allowing it to access Palestinian detainees held in Israeli detention centers since October 2023, demanding that the Israeli authorities disclose the fate and whereabouts of all detainees, allow visits, and ensure they can contact their families.
Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum in Gaza City said: “Israel intensified airstrikes on Saturday, targeting mainly makeshift tents, especially in Gaza City and the al-Mawasi area, which was designated a safe zone under the ceasefire negotiations and maps reached last year.” He added that the attacks coincided with an expansion of Israeli ground operations in eastern parts of Gaza City.
The Gaza Health Ministry said Israel's war on the territory has killed at least 73,054 Palestinians and wounded 173,480 since October 7, 2023. In the past 24 hours, hospitals received three bodies and treated 43 wounded people.
In occupied East Jerusalem, 110 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy Israeli police protection, according to the Islamic Waqf Department. The Waqf said settlers entered through the Mughrabi Gate, walked in the courtyards, and performed provocative rituals in the eastern part of the compound. Israeli police imposed strict restrictions on Palestinians coming to pray, harassed them, barred some from entering, and confiscated identity cards at the outer gates.
In Hebron, Israeli forces prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque for the eighth consecutive day. Munjid al-Ja’bari, the mosque's director, said Israel has blocked all calls to prayer for eight days, aiming to tighten control and empty the mosque of worshippers.
Israeli forces also shot a young Palestinian man in the leg with live ammunition during a raid on the Qalandiya camp, north of Jerusalem, and detained two others. In Bethlehem governorate, Israel detained two youths after raiding Beit Sahour and searching a family home. In Nablus, Israel detained 11 Palestinians after raiding and searching homes in several areas, along with detaining two others in Sebastia, including journalist Anas al-Hawari, and destroying a vehicle.
Palestinian groups warned that Israel is escalating attacks on medical staff and civil society organizations. The Palestinian NGO Network called for international pressure to secure the release of detained doctors, including Mazen al-Rantisi, Khaled Ayash, and Hussam Abu Safia. The Committee for Prisoners and Former Prisoners said Palestinian women held in Damon prison face harsh conditions and lack basic rights. Detainee Lina Muhammad Wazwaz, a teacher and mother of four, suffered severe pain from tight handcuffs after her arrest and later sustained facial injuries during a prison raid.