At least five Palestinians were killed on Friday in Israeli drone and airstrikes targeting police posts and other sites in the southern and central Gaza Strip, local medical and civil defence officials said. The strikes occurred despite a US‑brokered truce that entered a new phase last month but has been repeatedly violated, according to reports from Gaza authorities and international news outlets.
Gaza’s civil defence ministry, which operates under the territory’s health and rescue services, said an airstrike in the early hours of Friday morning killed at least two people and seriously wounded another in central Gaza. Shortly afterwards, a drone strike in the southern Gaza Strip killed three people and injured several others, the agency added.
Medical sources at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis reported the arrival of bodies and multiple wounded following strikes on a police checkpoint in the al‑Mawasi area. Another strike targeting a police post at the entrance to the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza also resulted in deaths and injuries.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Friday’s strikes, but previous statements from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have said operations are aimed at militant targets and threats to soldiers. Under the terms of the ceasefire, which entered its second phase in late 2025, Israeli forces were to withdraw behind a so‑called “Yellow Line,” although they remain present in much of the enclave.
The violence comes as both sides continue to accuse each other of violating the truce. Gaza health officials say hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, while Israel has reported losses among its own forces. Independent verification of casualty figures and battlefield conditions remains difficult due to restricted media access in the territory.
Hamas officials condemned the latest strikes, characterising them as proof of what they describe as ongoing Israeli disregard for ceasefire efforts and mediator roles, though details from both sides remain contested.