Israeli air strikes kill 13 in Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens

At least 13 Palestinians, including two boys, a pregnant woman and nine police officers, have been killed in a series of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local officials and hospital authorities.

One of the strikes on Sunday targeted a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reported. Medical staff at Al-Aqsa Hospital said four people were killed in the attack, including a couple in their thirties and their 10-year-old son. The woman was reported to have been pregnant with twins, the news report said.

A 15-year-old neighbour was also killed in the blast and was taken to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, according to local reports.

Residents said the strike came without warning. Mahmoud al-Muhtaseb, who lives nearby, said people were asleep when the explosion occurred. “We woke up to the sound of a missile strike. It was very powerful,” he said.

In a separate incident later the same day, an air strike struck a police vehicle along the Philadelphi Corridor near the entrance to the central Gaza town of az-Zawayda, according to Gaza’s Interior Ministry.

Nine police officers were killed in the attack, including Colonel Iyad Ab Yousef, described by officials as a senior police figure in central Gaza. Fourteen other people were reported injured.

The Interior Ministry condemned the strike, saying the officers had been carrying out routine duties during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including monitoring local markets and maintaining public order.

The Israeli military had not issued an immediate response regarding the reported strikes.

Although a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was intended to halt the more than two-year conflict in Gaza, deadly incidents have continued. Israeli air strikes and shootings near areas controlled by Israeli forces are reported to occur almost daily.

Gaza health authorities say more than 650 Palestinians have been killed since October 10, 2025.

Meanwhile, Israel has announced plans to partially reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Wednesday after a two-week closure that further strained humanitarian conditions in the territory.

The Israeli military agency responsible for civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, COGAT, said the crossing would reopen on March 18 but only for limited passenger movement. Transport of goods will not be permitted.

Travellers will require prior Israeli security clearance and coordination with Egyptian authorities. The European Union’s border monitoring mission, which returned to the area earlier this year, is expected to supervise operations.

Humanitarian organisations say thousands of patients remain unable to leave Gaza for urgent medical treatment unavailable within the enclave. More than 20,000 people are reportedly on waiting lists for care abroad, including around 4,000 cancer patients and 4,500 children. Nearly 440 cases are considered immediately life-threatening.

Israel closed the crossing on February 28, citing security concerns, the same day it and the United States launched strikes on Iran.

Aid agencies warn that living conditions inside Gaza continue to deteriorate. The World Health Organization’s regional office said only around 200 aid trucks are entering the territory each day, far below the estimated 600 required to meet basic needs.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says almost half of essential medicines are now unavailable, while around two-thirds of medical supplies have been exhausted.

Residents say the situation has worsened in recent weeks. Mohammed Salah, founder of the non-governmental organisation Tech from Palestine, said prices for essential goods had surged sharply.

Speaking from Deir el-Balah, he said the cost of basic supplies had “doubled or even more than doubled” since regional hostilities escalated.

Compounding the hardship, a recent sandstorm swept across the enclave, damaging temporary shelters used by tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced during more than two years of conflict.