Israeli strikes kill Palestinians attending Gaza funeral for earlier strike victim

GAZA: At least eight Palestinians were killed and 20 others wounded on Friday when an Israeli airstrike struck a funeral gathering in Nuseirat, central Gaza, according to health officials. The deceased being mourned had been killed earlier that day in another Israeli attack.

The attack on the funeral highlights the fragile security situation in Gaza, where the ceasefire has not ended violence.

Those deaths, along with at least three Palestinians killed in separate Israeli airstrikes elsewhere in the enclave, brought Friday’s toll to at least 12, medics said.

Hamas condemned the strike as a “brutal massacre” targeting mourners and called on mediators and the United Nations to intervene to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza.

The Israeli military said it was checking a Reuters request for comment but did not immediately provide one.

Israel orders evacuations despite ceasefire

Residents in an area east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli forces used drones to broadcast audio messages ordering them to leave their homes, forcing some families to flee for safety.

These deaths bring the total number of Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli strikes since the October ceasefire to over 1,100, according to Gaza health officials. Hamas typically does not disclose its own casualties.

The truce 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 over the same period.

Conflict monitor ACLED, a US-based research group that tracks political violence, said Israeli airstrikes against Hamas and other militants rose to more than 40 in June, the highest monthly total since the ceasefire. Other strikes hit people near the line dividing the two sides, killing and injuring civilians, including women and children, it said.

The near-daily strikes since the ceasefire have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, while Israeli forces say they target militants. The truce, which halted major fighting, has not prevented continued bloodshed, with four Israeli soldiers also killed over the same period. ACLED data shows a rise in Israeli airstrikes, hitting both militants and civilians near the dividing line.