Israeli strike on Gaza funeral killed at least seven people, hospital says

An Israeli strike on a funeral in the Gaza Strip has killed at least seven people and injured another 22, according to a local hospital.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Al-Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp confirmed the number of casualties, saying the strike hit the funeral of a Palestinian killed in another Israeli attack earlier on Friday.

Israel and the Hamas militant group agreed to a ceasefire deal in October aimed at halting their two-year-long war.

The heaviest fighting has subsided but at least 1,123 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to its health ministry.

The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. An independent UN inquiry has found that Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza.

Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel has said its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s health ministry said.