Gaza health officials say Israeli strikes kill five

GAZA CITY: Gaza's civil defense agency and a nearby hospital reported that Israeli strikes claimed five lives and injured others in the Palestinian region on Wednesday. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defense agency, confirmed that three people perished and several more, including some seriously wounded, were struck by a drone attack in Rafah to the south.

The local hospital disclosed receiving three bodies and 15 injured individuals, with one casualty succumbing to their injuries shortly after. In another southern location, Khan Younis, Gaza's civil defense agency reported the death of an additional person due to a strike. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident when contacted by AFP, stating that they had neutralized terrorists in the area and that additional information would be released soon.

These strikes took place the day following Israel's national election, which resulted in no clear victor. Since the ceasefire was initiated last year, over 1,500 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza, as per the health ministry of the territory, which functions under Hamas and whose statistics are deemed accurate by the United Nations.

The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, following an unprecedented assault by Hamas on southern Israel that resulted in the death of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military operation that has devastated much of Gaza and claimed over 74,500 lives, according to the health ministry of the territory.