At least 14 Palestinians were killed and more than 20 wounded in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday, Gaza health officials said, including seven people killed in a drone strike that hit mourners gathered for a funeral procession.
According to Al-Awda Hospital, the strike targeted people outside the Ahmad Yassin Mosque in central Gaza as they prepared to attend the funeral of a Palestinian who had been killed in an earlier Israeli attack in the area.
Witnesses said the drone struck the crowd shortly after the procession left the mosque.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a strike against what it described as a “terrorist” cell in central Gaza. It added that it was aware of reports that civilians had been harmed and that the incident was under review.
Hamas condemned the strike, describing it as a “brutal terrorist crime” and a “horrific massacre.” The group accused Israel of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement and called on mediators and the United Nations to intervene.
Gaza-based journalist Tamer Alnoaizy said on social media that mourners attending the funeral of a friend and relative had themselves been killed in the strike.
“Ten people were walking in the funeral of their friend and relative, and minutes later, they too were among the dead,” he wrote.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S.-based Muslim civil rights organisation, also condemned the attack, saying Israel “will not even allow them to bury their loved ones in peace.” It called for renewed international pressure to halt the violence.
Elsewhere in Gaza, a 52-year-old woman was killed after what Palestinian medics said was an Israeli drone strike near Abu Tammam School in Beit Lahia.
Another Palestinian was killed and several others wounded in a strike on a gathering in Az-Zawayda, while another person was killed after Israeli fire hit a structure sheltering displaced people in al-Sawarha, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp, medics said.
In Gaza City, a drone strike on an apartment killed one person and wounded several others, including children, according to Palestinian health officials. A woman later died from injuries sustained in Israeli gunfire southwest of Khan Younis, they said.
Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the other reported strikes.
In a statement, Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel of intensifying attacks on civilians, saying more than 25 Palestinians had been killed across the enclave over the previous 72 hours.
The office said Israeli forces had targeted markets, funeral processions, civilian gatherings and residential buildings. It said it had documented more than 3,750 alleged ceasefire violations since the truce took effect.
Palestinian authorities said that, as of Tuesday, alleged Israeli ceasefire violations had killed at least 1,122 Palestinians, wounded 3,599 others and resulted in the detention of 142 people. Reuters could not independently verify those figures.
The Government Media Office called on international mediators overseeing the ceasefire to press Israel to comply with the agreement.
Israel has repeatedly said it targets militants and accuses Hamas of operating among civilians, an allegation the group and neutral observers denies.
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