Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Saturday resulted in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians, including three children, according to hospital officials. One strike targeted an apartment in the Nasr neighborhood, killing five people, among them children aged between 8 and 18, said Mohammed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were taken. Six others were wounded in the attack, including four children ranging from 8 to 16 years old.

Israel's military stated that it targeted Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area but provided no further details. Another airstrike struck a group in the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing four people and critically wounding one.

Palestinian sources have reported an escalation in the intensity of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October. Since that ceasefire took effect, Palestinian health authorities say at least 1,127 Palestinians—including 260 children—have been killed.

The current conflict began after a large-scale Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which left approximately 1,200 Israelis dead and resulted in 251 hostages taken by Hamas. Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza have caused widespread casualties; Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive, with women and children accounting for roughly half of the fatalities.