Israeli strikes kill four Palestinians as Gaza offensive intensifies

Israel's military operations across the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank continued to intensify on Sunday, with at least four Palestinians, including a 13-year-old girl, reported killed in separate attacks in Gaza, while fresh raids and arrests were carried out across the West Bank.

According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, an Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Salatin area west of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, killing two people and injuring another. In southern Gaza, an Israeli air strike hit a tent housing displaced families in Khan Younis, leaving several people wounded. Medical staff at Nasser Medical Complex said they also received the body of an unidentified man following the attack.

In a separate incident, 13-year-old Eileen al-Farra died after being struck by shrapnel from Israeli tank shelling in southern Gaza, hospital officials said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was reported by Al Jazeera as saying it had facilitated the transfer of 14 Palestinian detainees released by Israel from the Kerem Abu Salem crossing to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, where they were reunited with their families. The organisation said it had assisted in the transfer of more than 2,500 released detainees since 2023 through the same mechanism.

However, the ICRC said it has been denied access to Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities since October 2023. It called on Israeli authorities to disclose the whereabouts of all detainees, allow humanitarian visits and ensure they are able to communicate with their families.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum said Israeli air strikes had intensified over the weekend, with attacks focusing on makeshift shelters in Gaza City and the al-Mawasi area, previously designated as a humanitarian safe zone. He also said Israeli ground forces had expanded operations in eastern Gaza City.

Gaza's health ministry said the death toll from the conflict since October 7, 2023, had risen to 73,054, with 173,480 people injured. It added that hospitals had received three bodies and treated 43 injured people over the previous 24 hours.

Meanwhile, tensions also remained high in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Islamic Waqf Department said around 110 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under Israeli police protection through the Mughrabi Gate, where they toured the site and performed religious rituals. The department also alleged that Israeli police-imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers by limiting access and confiscating identity cards.

In Hebron, officials at the Ibrahimi Mosque said Israeli authorities had prevented the Islamic call to prayer for the eighth consecutive day. Mosque director Munjid al-Ja'bari said the measures were aimed at restricting worshippers' access to the site.

Israeli forces also conducted raids across several West Bank towns. A Palestinian man was reportedly shot in the foot during an operation in Qalandiya refugee camp near Jerusalem, while two others were arrested. Additional arrests were reported in Beit Sahour, Nablus and Sebastia, where journalist Anas al-Hawari was among those detained, according to Palestinian sources.

Palestinian civil society organisations also expressed concern over the treatment of detainees. The Palestinian NGO Network called for international efforts to secure the release of detained medical professionals, while the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs alleged that Palestinian women held in Damon prison were facing deteriorating conditions and denial of basic rights. It also claimed that one detainee, Lina Muhammad Wazwaz, sustained injuries during her detention and subsequent prison operations.