Portugal Colonial - Gaza civil defence says Israeli strike kills one, tents on fire

The bloodshed was the latest to rock the war-shattered Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire in place since October 10.

The strike hit the Al-Sitt camp in the Deir el-Balah area, said the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas.

AFP photographs showed flames engulfing the tents, sending thick black smoke into the sky.

Gaza's Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital confirmed the toll.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.

Suhaila Khalil, who lives in a tent in the area, said she heard screams as the strike tore through the camp.

"The explosion happened several hundred metres from our tent, but smoke and shrapnel rained down on displaced people, leaving several injured," Khalil, 57, told AFP.

Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been living in makeshift camps since the war erupted after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Violence has persisted in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with both Israel and Hamas regularly accusing each other of violations.

Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, says at least 689 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the truce.

The Israeli military says at least five of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

L.Carrico--PC