5 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza Strip

Five Palestinians were killed Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian security and medical sources, reported Xinhua. Security sources said that Israeli drones targeted a group of Palestinians as they attempted to confront a group working with the Israeli army who were trying to raid several homes east of the Maghazi camp. Medical sources told Xinhua that the bodies of five victims and several wounded individuals arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah following the airstrike. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Several Palestinian groups operate in cooperation with the Israeli army in areas under Israeli control in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip. Their members frequently advance into certain areas, leading to clashes with armed members of Palestinian factions. Gaza-based health authorities reported on Tuesday that hospitals in the enclave received six dead and 34 wounded in the past 24 hours. It added in a statement that the death toll since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in Oct. 2025 has risen to 906, with 2,747 wounded, bringing the total number of casualties since Oct. 7, 2023, to 72,803 dead and 172,855 wounded. The first phase of the U.S.-proposed ceasefire included an exchange of prisoners and detainees between the two sides, the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from some areas. The United States announced in mid-January the start of the second phase, which includes a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, reconstruction efforts, and the establishment of a transitional governing body in the Gaza Strip.