Medical staff at Nasser Hospital has confirmed that two Palestinian children were reportedly killed in an Israeli drone strike near a school sheltering displaced families in southern Gaza.
The victims, 11-year-old Fadi Abu Assi and his eight-year-old brother, Goma, were struck on Sunday near the town of Beni Suhaila.
Family members say the boys had been collecting firewood for their father, who uses a wheelchair, when the strike occurred.
“They are children… what did they do?” their uncle, Mohamed Abu Assi, said. During the funeral, their father mourned over one of the boys as relatives unveiled the shroud to identify him.
Responding to questions from Sky News, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that troops had identified “two suspects” crossing a restricted zone and engaging in “suspicious activities” that posed “an immediate threat” to soldiers. According to the IDF, the individuals were targeted to neutralize the perceived danger.
The incident comes amid heightened tension less than two months after a US-brokered 20-point ceasefire agreement went into effect in October.
Hamas accuses Israel of repeatedly violating the truce, while Israel says its actions target militants responsible for breaches. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that at least 352 Palestinians have been k*lled since the ceasefire began on 10 October.
The Hamas-run ministry estimates that more than 70,000 people have died during the wider conflict, though Israeli officials dispute the figures, claiming they are inflated.
With the fragile ceasefire offering intermittent pauses in fighting, authorities in Gaza say they have begun recovering and documenting thousands of previously uncounted victims.
