Israeli forces killed at least 11 Palestinians, including two children, in a series of strikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to Gaza's Civil Defence authorities and Reuters.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defence, said four people were killed — among them a three-year-old — when Israeli forces struck a police vehicle in Gaza City. The Gaza Ministry of Interior confirmed the strike hit the city centre, killing a police officer and wounding at least nine bystanders, some critically. Another person was killed by Israeli fire in the northern Beit Lahiya area earlier in the day.
Tuesday evening brought further violence when an Israeli drone strike hit near a cafe at an intersection in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Medics at Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed receiving five bodies from the attack, which involved two missiles fired at a group of people. Reuters reported that several others were wounded.
The killings are the latest in a pattern of daily Israeli strikes that have persisted despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect last October. Since the truce was announced, Israeli attacks have killed almost 760 Palestinians and injured more than 2,100, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The total death toll from Israel's war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has now reached 72,336, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday. The continued strikes have drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian officials and humanitarian organizations who say the ceasefire has failed to deliver meaningful protection for civilians in the devastated territory.
