Nuseirat, Gaza Strip. An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight Palestinians and wounded 20 people attending a funeral in Nuseirat on Friday, Gaza health officials said. The funeral was for a person killed in an earlier Israeli strike on the area.
Funeral strike and military response
At least three other Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes elsewhere in the enclave, bringing Friday’s reported death toll to at least 12, medics said.
Hamas described the Nuseirat strike as a “brutal massacre” against mourners and called on mediators and the United Nations to act to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it had struck a cell belonging to the Islamic Jihad militant group, which operates in parts of the enclave alongside Hamas. It said it was aware of claims that several uninvolved people were harmed in the strike.
Evacuation orders in central Gaza
Residents east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza said Israeli forces used drones to broadcast messages ordering them to leave their homes. Some families fled the area, they said.
According to Gaza health officials, more than 1,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli attacks since an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. Hamas does not usually disclose its losses.
Ceasefire violations
The ceasefire halted major fighting but has not stopped near-daily Israeli strikes. Israel says it is targeting militants. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza during the same period.
ACLED, a United States-based group that monitors political violence, said Israeli airstrikes against Hamas and other militants rose to more than 40 in June, the highest monthly total since the ceasefire. It said other strikes hit people near the line dividing the two sides, killing and injuring civilians, including women and children.