Gaza officials say several killed in Israeli strike

An Israeli strike in central Gaza has killed at least eight people and wounded another 22, local officials said on Friday.

"Eight people were killed after Israeli warplanes struck a gathering of civilians in the Al-Balata market area of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza," reported Gaza's civil defense agency, which functions as a rescue service under Hamas.

The Al-Awda hospital said it received the eight dead and 22 people wounded in the strike.

What we know about the strike in Gaza

The AFP news agency reported that the strike took place during a funeral procession and cited civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal with the information.

Israel's military (IDF) said it had struck a "terrorist cell" from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group and that it was aware civilians may have been harmed in the strike.

"A short while ago, the IDF struck a terrorist cell of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation in the central Gaza Strip," the military said.

"The IDF is aware of the claims that several uninvolved individuals were harmed as a result of the strike. The results of the strike are under review."

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal in October aimed at halting a two-year-long warsparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

However, according to Gaza's Health Ministry operating under Hamas authority, at least 1,127 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect.

The IDF says at least five soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the corresponding period.

The dangers of living along Gaza's shifting front lines

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Edited by: Sean Sinico

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