Key facts
- Israeli forces shot and killed a child east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
- The child was identified as Muhammad Abu Khamash.
- Another Palestinian child was killed by Israeli forces in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
- A child in northern Gaza, identified as Youssef Ahmed al-Shandaghli, was killed by Israeli forces.
- Israel has revoked the operating licenses of 37 aid groups.
Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian child in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al Jazeera Arabic, citing medical staff at al-Awda Hospital. Local reports identified the child killed east of Deir al-Balah as Muhammad Abu Khamash.
Separately, a child in northern Gaza was identified as Youssef Ahmed al-Shandaghli, killed by Israeli forces. The circumstances surrounding this killing were not immediately clear. The report also noted a young girl died in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp due to extreme cold, and the bodies of a mother and child were recovered after a tent fire in the Yarmouk area.
UNICEF stated that at least five Palestinian children died in Gaza in December due to inadequate shelter, including a seven-year-old boy named Ata Mai who drowned in a makeshift camp amid severe weather. The UN agency's regional director, Edouard Beigbeder, emphasized the need for protection and essential supplies for children.
These incidents occur as Israel has moved to ban international aid groups, revoking the operating licenses of 37 organizations for failing to comply with new government regulations. UN officials have condemned this as a restriction on humanitarian access, while the affected groups warn of halting life-saving work.