Gaza Strikes Kill Four, Including Two Children, as Warnings Fail to Prevent Casualties

Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday killed at least four people, including two children, according to hospital officials, as the fragile ceasefire that halted major fighting in October continues to unravel.

The Israeli military said it conducted strikes in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City and the central town of Deir al-Balah, claiming they targeted two Hamas weapons storage facilities hidden inside mosques. The military said the sites contained dozens of Kalashnikov rifles, magazines, and other military equipment, though it did not provide visual evidence. The strikes came after advance warnings, which sent scores of residents fleeing the targeted areas.

Despite the warnings, casualties were reported. In the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, an Israeli strike hit a building after residents said they received an evacuation order. One family was unable to flee in time. A four-year-old child was killed, his body pulled from the rubble, according to Awda Hospital, where he was taken. His mother and sister were wounded and are receiving treatment.

In Deir al-Balah, a man was killed when a strike hit a tent, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital, which received his body. In southern Gaza, a man was killed and five others wounded in a strike in Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital. Israeli tank fire also hit an area east of the city, killing a 10-year-old girl, the hospital confirmed.

Since the ceasefire took hold, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, which Gaza health officials say have killed at least 1,288 Palestinians. The Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are considered broadly reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Militants have continued to carry out shooting attacks on Israeli troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to those violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began.

The broader conflict traces back to the October 7 attack by militants on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 73,422 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, including those killed since the ceasefire.