At least three people, including a four-year-old boy, were killed on Sunday in Israeli strikes on central Gaza, as Israel warned it would intensify its attacks if balloons, drones and kites continue to be launched from the enclave into Israeli territory.
Deadly strike in Al-Zawaida
According to Gaza's Civil Defence agency, an airstrike in the town of Al-Zawaida levelled a building after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate.
Four-year-old Mohammed Abdel Salam Taha was killed in the rubble, while seven others were injured by shrapnel. The dead and the most seriously wounded were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
A second strike was reported in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, where another fatality was recorded.
The Israeli military said it was examining both incidents.
The previous evening, the army announced it had killed Sharif Al-Hasnat, a senior Hamas figure in Deir al-Balah, accusing him of rebuilding the group's underground network.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire that has been in place since October 2025 under US mediation and undermining a broader plan by President Donald Trump to end the conflict, which includes an Israeli withdrawal and the group's disarmament.
According to local health authorities, more than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect. The Israeli military says it has lost four soldiers over the same period.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that following a security assessment, Israel warned Hamas that it would intensify strikes and order evacuations in parts of Gaza unless launches from the enclave cease immediately.
Hamas official Bassem Naim rejected the warning, writing in a social media post that children launch kites in an attempt to reclaim some of the childhood that has been taken from them amid the destruction.
Teenager killed in West Bank raid
In the occupied West Bank, a 14-year-old Palestinian, Islam Azouri, was killed by Israeli gunfire during a raid on the Askar refugee camp near Nablus.
A local resident told AFP there were no clashes that would justify the shooting of a child.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident.
On the same day, an Israeli man was injured in a stabbing attack near Jericho after a suspect, believed to be Palestinian, attacked him as he approached his parked vehicle.
The assailant fled on foot and Israeli security forces launched a large-scale search operation in the area.
