Gaza health officials say 7 killed in Israeli airstrikes

Gaza health officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least seven people on Tuesday (May 26, 2026, including five in one attack, in the latest violence to hit the Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Gaza remains gripped by daily violence, with both the Israeli military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce in effect since October 10.

“Five martyrs and several wounded were transferred (to hospital) after an Israeli airstrike targeted a group of citizens in eastern Al-Maghazi,” the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas, said.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital and a Palestinian security source confirmed the incident and the casualties.

The Israeli military said its troops identified several “armed terrorists” operating in the area of the so-called “Yellow Line” that splits Gaza into two areas: one controlled by Israeli forces and the other by Hamas.

“Following the identification, the troops precisely struck the terrorists in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified,” the military told AFP.

A witness told AFP that a group of armed men entered the Al-Maghazi refugee camp and broke into a house on Tuesday morning (May 26, 2026).

“Residents in the area noticed them and confronted them with stones and sticks, at which point an Israeli drone then fired a missile at the residents, killing five,” he said.

The witness, who declined to be named for safety reasons, added that the gunmen subsequently fled toward the border area east of the camp, which is under Israeli control.

The Palestinian security source from the Gaza interior ministry confirmed these details.

The identity of the armed men remains unclear, though the incident follows a pattern of previously reported clashes between local residents and members of anti-Hamas militias allegedly backed by Israel.

Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis reported receiving two bodies following an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the city’s western area.

An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the military “conducted an airstrike in Khan Yunis targeting a Hamas terrorist,” adding that the details were still being assessed.

A ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, but Israel reserves the right to strike targets it deems a threat.

At least 906 Palestinians have been killed since the October 10 ceasefire, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

The Israeli military says five of its soldiers have also been killed during the same period.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.