Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill two people, including a 4-year-old boy, medics say

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill two people, including a 4-year-old boy, medics say

Black smoke rises behind the tents housing internally displaced Palestinian families following an Israeli strike in the area of Maghazi, in the central Gaza Strip, on August 23, 2026. (AFP)

Two Israeli airstrikes hit central Gaza Strip

In West ‌Bank, teenager shot and killed by Israeli forces

CAIRO: Two ​Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least two people, including a 4-year-old boy, and wounded seven others, Palestinian health officials said.

One of the strikes hit a building in Zawayda town in the center of the enclave and followed a warning by the Israeli army for the owners of the property to leave the area, residents said.

Medics said flying debris and shrapnel that spread for dozens of meters around had wounded at least six people, including the 4-year-old, Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, who was later pronounced dead ‌at hospital.

“There is ‌no ceasefire, there is nothing,” said Abu Ahmed, a displaced ​Palestinian ‌who ⁠was ​sheltering close ⁠to the building, which the airstrike reduced to a pile of mangled steel and concrete.

“We want solutions, we want to live in peace,” he said.

The second airstrike took place in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, the health officials said.

Israel’s military said it was looking into both strikes.

ISRAEL TARGETS HAMAS DESPITE CEASEFIRE

An October 2025 US-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, but it failed to end strikes by the Israeli military, which it said aimed ⁠to thwart attacks by Hamas and other Gaza militants.

The military said ‌in a statement late on Saturday that ‌it had struck and killed a senior Hamas militant, Sharif ​Al-Hasnat, in the city of Deir Al-Balah. ‌It said he was leading efforts to restore Hamas’ “underground infrastructure.”

Hamas accuses Israel of violating ‌the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement a broader plan by US President Donald Trump to end the Gaza conflict, which also includes Israeli withdrawals and Hamas disarmament.

More than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to Gazan health officials, while the Israeli ‌military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, an Israeli man was stabbed and wounded by ⁠a suspect believed ⁠to be a Palestinian man, police and the Israeli military said.

Security camera footage distributed by the military showed a man waiting by a vehicle next to a main highway near Jericho before stabbing the Israeli man when he approached his parked car.

The suspect fled on foot and Israeli soldiers were searching for him, the military said.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, health officials said Israeli forces had shot and killed a 14-year-old boy, Islam Ajjouri, during a raid into Askar refugee camp near Nablus.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident.

The West Bank, home to 3 million Palestinians and some 500,000 settlers, has seen a rise in settler violence and seizures of land and resources.

UN bodies ​and most countries view the settlements ​as illegal under international law regarding military occupations. Israel disputes this and it cites biblical and historical ties to the land.