Five Palestinians — among them two young boys — were killed on Wednesday after Israeli air strikes hit tents sheltering displaced families west of Khan Younis, health workers at the Kuwait Field Hospital reported.
The attack occurred in the al-Mawasi coastal zone, an area that has hosted thousands of people uprooted by the conflict. Medical teams confirmed that the victims included two women aged 46 and 30, a 36-year-old man, and two boys aged eight and ten. At least 32 others were injured and treated at the hospital.
Rescue teams said the bodies were recovered from al-Najaat camp, a densely packed cluster of makeshift shelters that has become home to hundreds in recent months.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike was aimed at “a Hamas terrorist,” claiming the action came after five Israeli soldiers were injured earlier in the day. The military accused Hamas of breaching the ongoing ceasefire, saying militants had attacked Israeli forces stationed in the Rafah area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier vowed that Israel would “respond accordingly,” signalling that retaliatory measures were imminent.
Witnesses told reporters that the first explosion struck a tent inside the al-Mawasi displacement zone, followed by additional blasts near the Kuwait Field Hospital. The strikes caused widespread panic among families seeking refuge in the area.
Hamas condemned the attack as “barbaric” and “indiscriminate,” describing it as another violation of the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza began after the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 70,100 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israeli campaign.