Children among 16 killed in Gaza attack: Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes have killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip, including five women and four children, Palestinian officials say.

A strike flattened a home in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people, including four women and two children, officials said.

The Awda Hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the toll and said another 13 people were wounded in the early morning attack.

Hospital records show the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings.

Another strike on a home in Gaza City killed six people, including a woman and two children, according to the Civil Defence, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government.

Israel says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas.

The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas’ October 7 attack triggered the war nearly a year ago.

It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children.

Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Earlier, Israel’s defence minister told his US counterpart time is running out for an agreement with Hezbollah to halt the fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Yoav Gallant told Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin that “the possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to ‘tie itself’ to Hamas”.

“The trajectory is clear,” Gallant added, according to a statement released from his office on Monday.

Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones into northern Israel after the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

Both armed groups are allied with Iran, and Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel has responded to the attacks with airstrikes and the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders. It has threatened a wider operation, raising fears of another all-out war.

Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks if there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but months of talks brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled.

Hamas has demanded a lasting ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as part of any agreement to release the scores of hostages it still holds from the October 7 attack.

Gallant told Austin that “in any possible scenario, Israel’s defence establishment will continue to operate with the aim of dismantling Hamas and ensuring the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza - by any means”.