An Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinians, including three children, near a mosque in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday (22 February), health officials said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident.
The latest deaths add to ongoing violence that continues to undermine the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement signed in October after two years of full-scale war between Israel and Hamas.
Progress on key elements of the deal, including Hamas disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawals, has largely stalled.
Under the current arrangement, Israeli forces remain in control of a depopulated zone covering more than half of Gaza, while Hamas retains control of the remaining narrow coastal strip.
According to local medics, more than 780 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect.
Israel, meanwhile, says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period, with both sides accusing each other of repeated ceasefire violations.
In a separate development, Palestinians in one of the few Gaza cities not overrun by Israeli ground forces during the war are set to vote in municipal elections this weekend.
Some candidates are linked to Hamas, making the vote a rare indicator of the group’s current level of support.
This will be the first election held in Gaza since 2006, when Hamas won the Palestinian Authority’s legislative elections before taking control of the territory after a brief internal conflict with Fatah, which remains dominant in the West Bank.
The elections come as U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” advances a vision for post-war Gaza. The plan envisions rebuilding the territory from scratch under an apolitical committee of Palestinian technocrats.
Supporters of the elections say they carry broader political meaning.
Palestinian political analyst Reham Owda described the vote as “a symbolic step to send a message to the world, to the Board of Peace, and to Israel that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Palestinian political system.”
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An Israeli air strike has killed the son of Hamas’ chief negotiator in U.S.-mediated Gaza talks, as group leaders met in Cairo to shore up a fragile ceasefire with Israel.
The U.S. President’s Board of Peace has presented Hamas with a written proposal on disarmament, two sources said, a step the group has so far refused as Washington presses ahead with its plan for Gaza’s future.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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