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.”
A new trilateral energy partnership involving Uzbekneftegaz, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and BP has been announced during Uzbekistan...
U.S. President Donald Trump’s three-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping ...
Gunshots erupted at the Philippine Senate in Manila on Wednesday, sending lawmakers,...
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he le...
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met Norway’s newly ...
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.
The Israeli military announced on Friday that Gaza City will no longer be covered by its limited daily humanitarian pause, citing the area as a "dangerous combat zone."
Kuwait arrested four members of an IRGC-linked group as they tried to enter the country by sea, the Gulf state's KUNA news agency reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a senior IRGC officer said Iran had expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz to include a far wider area.
Biological samples from an Italian man were transferred to a specialist hospital for testing on Tuesday, after he was suspected of contracting hantavirus. Meanwhile, World Health Organization boss Tedros Ghebreyesus said there were “no sign” of a larger outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise.
Exclusive flight-tracking material obtained by AnewZ has raised new questions about French military aircraft movements linked to President Emmanuel Macron’s recent diplomacy with Armenia and the wider scope of France’s defence cooperation with Yerevan.
Just one week after a similar move by Australia, Greece announced that it will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 from January 1, 2027, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he left for a high-stakes summit in Beijing on Tuesday, as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.
A new trilateral energy partnership involving Uzbekneftegaz, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and BP has been announced during Uzbekistan Energy Week 2026 in Tashkent.
The number of dead Caspian seals discovered along Kazakhstan’s section of the Caspian Sea continues to rise, with the latest findings reported near the Karazhanbas and Buzachi oilfields in the Mangystau region.
This is the third and final article in AnewZ’s series examining the fight for access to treatment for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Georgia, and the irreversible human cost of delay.
Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been banned for 11 years after an anti-doping probe uncovered sample swapping in the national team. Several other players and the Georgian Rugby Union were also sanctioned
AnewZ has premiered its new investigative documentary, Shadow of the Cross, examining the power, history and contested role of one of the world’s most recognised humanitarian symbols.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment