Israeli strike kills three Palestinians, including girl, in Gaza

Three Palestinians, including a seven-year-old girl, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a camp for displaced people in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis, on 26 October, medical sources and first responders said.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis identified the dead as Hossam al-Zamli, Tamer Abu Sneima and Jouri al-Soufi. The hospital also received several wounded people, including a woman and a child, according to AFP reporting published by Arab News.

Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said rescue teams had transported the three victims after the strike hit the camp. He told AFP that 11 Palestinians had been killed and 50 wounded by Israeli fire and airstrikes across Gaza in the preceding 24 hours.

The Israeli military told AFP it was looking into reports of the strike, according to Arab News. Later coverage by L'Orient Today quoted the military as saying it was “not aware” of any military activity in the area on Monday.

The reports did not independently establish the intended target of the strike. The Palestinian accounts attributed the deaths to Israeli fire, while the military's response did not confirm that it had carried out an attack in al-Mawasi.

Further casualties were reported elsewhere in Gaza on 26 October. Gaza Civil Defence said another Palestinian was killed in an airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people near Khan Yunis, while al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported one person killed and three wounded in a separate strike in the Rimal neighbourhood, L'Orient Today reported.

The figures in subsequent coverage were higher than the initial toll. L'Orient Today reported five Palestinians killed across Gaza and 13 killed in total over the preceding 24 hours, while Dhaka Tribune, also citing AFP, reported about 60 wounded. The earlier AFP-based account carried by Arab News gave 50 wounded.

Separately, a security source in Gaza told AFP that Israeli tanks, military vehicles and a military bulldozer advanced into an area west of the Yellow Line in eastern Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, on the morning of 26 October. The source said the advance coincided with heavy gunfire towards the eastern and northern parts of the city, where hundreds of displaced families are sheltering.

The Yellow Line was established under the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025, separating areas under Israeli control from areas under Hamas control. L'Orient Today reported that Israeli forces controlled more than 60% of the territory under the arrangement.

More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began, according to the territory's health ministry, as cited by AFP. The ministry also reported more than 74,500 deaths since the war began in October 2023.

The latest deaths were reported as the ceasefire continued to face deadly incidents across the territory.