Israeli strikes kill three people in Gaza, medics say

On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. One incident took place near Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, where Basir Al-Bursh, the son of Munir Al-Bursh, the territory’s health ministry director-general, was killed. Medics and family members reported that the Israeli military targeted several militants, including Basir Al-Bursh, without providing further details. Hamas, the ruling Palestinian militant group in Gaza, did not respond to the strikes at the time.

Munir Al-Bursh had previously lost a daughter to an Israeli airstrike in December 2023, as stated by family members and medics. In a video obtained by Reuters, the mourning father was seen carrying his son’s body, wrapped in a blanket, to the hospital. Al-Bursh recounted his last conversation with his son, expressing his acceptance of martyrdom if they were targeted by Israeli forces.

At Al Shifa Hospital, Al-Bursh struggled to stand as mourners arrived to pay their respects. According to the civil defense service and medics, another strike in Shejaia, east of Gaza City, killed a man, while a third strike in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City resulted in the death of a person in a vehicle, raising Saturday’s death toll to at least three.

Israel's military claimed that the Sheikh Radwan strike targeted a Hamas militant, completely destroying the vehicle involved. The Israeli military reported that the attack killed four Israeli soldiers since the last US-brokered ceasefire, which aims for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza. However, little progress has been made, as negotiators have yet to agree on terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops.

As of the ceasefire's implementation, over 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with more than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dying since the ceasefire took effect.