Israeli strikes kill 17 people in Gaza, nearly all of them women or children

Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least 17 people late Tuesday, nearly all of them women or children, the territory's Health Ministry said.

Five kids were killed as they sheltered together in the same tent, said Ahmed al-Farra, director of the child ward at nearby Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Their bodies were among eight children and five women brought to the hospital after strikes on tents, homes and a vehicle. Two bodies were unidentifiable.

The Israeli military said it targeted militants who had taken part in the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, without providing evidence. Israel said it took steps to lessen the risk of hurting civilians and blamed Hamas for the civilian casualties.

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is raging with no end in sight, although there has reportedly been recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Some Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have hope the war will end soon. Issam Saqr, a displaced man from Khan Younis, told The Associated Press he hopes the ceasefire “will happen today — before tomorrow!”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the number of Israeli soldiers subjected to possible arrest overseas for accusations of war crimes in Gaza is “very limited,” despite intense media coverage of a case of a soldier forced to leave Brazil this week due to possible legal action.

On Sunday, Israel said it had helped the former soldier leave Brazil on a commercial flight, after Brazilian authorities launched an investigation into the soldier based on his social media posts showing him taking part in the demolition of civilian homes in Gaza. The investigation was based on a complaint filed by a pro-Palestinian activist group.

The Foreign Ministry said it is aware of fewer than a dozen similar complaints around the world. Eden Bar-Tal, the ministry's director general, accused “terrorist organisations” of spearheading the efforts to investigate Israeli soldiers. He dismissed the complaints as a public relations stunt with little chance of succeeding.