Israeli strikes kill 8 across Gaza, community kitchen workers among dead

At least eight Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including three aid workers killed in a strike on a community kitchen in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, the Al Jazeera reported.

According to reports from Gaza, the victims in Deir el-Balah were employees of the community kitchen serving displaced civilians amid worsening hunger and humanitarian shortages. Witnesses said the strike hit while food distribution efforts were underway.

Reacting to the attack, Hamas called it “a deliberate war crime” and accused Israel of continuing “genocide” in Gaza, saying the strike reflected “blatant disregard for international laws and humanitarian norms”, the Al Jazeera reported.

Additional fatalities were reported in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and Beit Lahiya in the north as Israeli bombardment continued across multiple areas of the enclave.

Gaza’s health ministry said the death toll since the war began on 7 October 2023, has risen to at least 72,760 Palestinians. The ministry added that at least 871 people have been killed since the ceasefire that began last October.

The Israeli military, which currently controls around 60 percent of Gaza through what it describes as a buffer zone marked by a “yellow line”, said its forces killed a person in the area after identifying an “imminent threat”. No evidence was provided.

The army also claimed it killed Hamas commander Bahaa Baroud in a separate operation. Hamas had not confirmed the claim at the time of reporting.