Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill Four, Including Children, After Clashes

At least four Palestinians, including children, were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza on Tuesday, according to local health officials and witnesses. The deaths came after clashes broke out between armed men and Hamas militants near the American Field Hospital, with residents reporting loud explosions, gunfire, and helicopter activity in Gaza City.

In Gaza City, strikes killed two children and one woman, with seven others wounded, some critically, according to officials at Shifa Hospital. Separately, Israeli troops fired on a group in Deir al-Balah, killing a child and wounding four others, including another child, as per Al-Aqsa Hospital officials.

The Israeli military said it struck targets in Gaza to remove threats to security forces, adding that no troops were injured. It did not comment on whether its soldiers engaged Hamas directly. Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run government media office, claimed an Israeli special forces operation in Gaza City had failed and resulted in casualties among the unit.

Despite an October ceasefire that has reduced fighting, Israeli strikes have persisted, killing at least 1,320 people since then, per Gaza health officials. The broader conflict has claimed over 73,456 lives in nearly three years, with women and children comprising about half the toll, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose records are widely regarded as reliable by international agencies.