An Israeli airstrike in Gaza has killed at least nine Palestinians, including three local journalists, the territory’s health ministry has said.
The strike hit a car, with casualties inside and outside the vehicle, and several people were critically injured, according to officials in the Gaza Strip.
Six volunteers from the Al Khair Foundation were “deliberately targeted” and killed while on their way to deliver aid in the northern town of Beit Lahia, said the UK-based international non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Among the six were the three journalists – Mahmoud al Sarraj, Mahmoud Isleem, and Bilal Abu Matar – who were recording humanitarian relief efforts for those affected by the war in Gaza, the foundation said.
The other three victims have been named as Bilal Akeela, Mohammad al Ghafir, and Hazem Gharib.
The foundation said: “The first strike injured one team member, prompting them to move away, but a drone followed them and struck their vehicle directly with a second strike, killing them all.”
What has Israel’s military said?
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck two individuals who it identified as “terrorists” operating a drone that it said posed a threat to forces in Beit Lahiya.
The military later struck several other suspects who it said had collected the drone equipment and entered a vehicle.
The military did not say how it had established that the individuals it had struck were “terrorists” or provide details about the threat that the drone had posed to its troops.
Gaza official denies army’s claims
Salama Marouf, the head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, denied the Israeli army’s allegations.
“The team was made of civilians and worked in an area near a shelter on a mission sponsored by a charity. They didn’t exist in a prohibited area and didn’t pose any danger of any kind to the occupation army,” Marouf said in a statement.
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Saturday’s incident underscores the fragility of the 19 January ceasefire agreement that halted large-scale fighting in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health officials say dozens of people have been killed by Israeli fire despite the truce.
The airstrike coincided with a visit to Egypt’s capital Cairo by Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief, Khalil al Hayya, for further truce talks aimed at resolving disputes with Israel.
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The militant group has accused Israel of attempting to renege on the ceasefire agreement, putting the number of Palestinians killed since 19 January, it says, at 150.
Hamas urged mediators to compel Israel to move ahead with the implementation of the phased ceasefire deal, blaming Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the current impasse.
What next for ceasefire deal?
The temporary first phase, where Hamas released dozens of Israeli hostages in return for around 1,500 Palestinian prisoners being freed from Israeli jails, expired on 2 March.
But Israel says it wants to extend the first phase, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Hamas says it will only resume freeing hostages under the second phase.
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Israel has rejected opening the second phase of talks, which would require it to negotiate over a permanent end to the war, which is Hamas’s main demand.
The war began when Hamas militants carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing around 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
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Israel responded by launching an air and ground offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, say Gaza health officials.
The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but said more than half of the fatalities were women and children.
