Key facts
- Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least nine Palestinians in Gaza.
- A 10-year-old boy and a senior Hamas police officer were among the dead.
- An earlier Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis killed a 36-year-old man and injured three.
- Hamas leaders are in Cairo discussing a Gaza peace plan.
- Hamas cited Israeli ceasefire violations as an obstacle to the peace plan.
Israeli strikes and gunfire in the Gaza Strip killed at least nine Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy and a senior Hamas police officer, according to Gazan health officials. These deaths add to the toll of over 1,100 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since an October ceasefire took effect, though sporadic violence has continued.
Medics reported that Muataz Abu Shaar, 10, was shot by Israeli gunfire in Rafah and later pronounced dead. In Khan Younis, a separate Israeli airstrike killed a 36-year-old man and wounded three others. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the incidents.
The latest violence occurs as Hamas leaders are in Cairo for further discussions on implementing the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, which includes Hamas disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals. Sources close to the talks indicated no breakthrough has yet occurred, with Hamas citing Israeli ceasefire violations as a major obstacle.
Nearly all of Gaza's 2 million residents live under Hamas control, many displaced and residing in makeshift shelters. Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in their October 7 attack on Israel, while Israeli tallies indicate over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then.