TWO children have been killed in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza in the latest violation of its ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
Medical sources in Gaza on Saturday said the children belonging to the same family were killed when an Israeli drone struck civilians gathering firewood near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
Severe fuel shortages have forced many Palestinians to search for fuel wherever they can amid low temperatures that drop as low as 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night these days.
Palestinians living in makeshift tents have little protection from strong winds and rain, as most shelters are made of thin canvas and plastic sheets.
Israel continues to block or limit the number of vital aid entering the territory, such as tents, mobile homes or materials to fix tents, in violation of the ceasefire it agreed with Hamas in October, as well as its obligations under international law as the occupying power in the Strip.
Israel has violated hundreds of times on a near-daily basis the United States-brokered ceasefire, which took effect on October 10.
At least 481 Palestinians have been killed and 1,206 others wounded in Israeli attacks since October 11, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
Israeli attacks killed 71,654 people and wounded 171,391 others in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the ministry says.
In a related development on Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the number of child deaths caused by cold weather since the start of the current winter season has risen to 10 with the death of another child.
“The child, Ali Abu Zour, aged three months, died due to severe cold at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital,” without specifying the date of death. The ministry added that the death “raises the number of child fatalities caused by cold weather since the beginning of the winter season to 10”.
Meanwhile, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Israel on Saturday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, two people briefed on the matter told the Reuters news agency.
The US on Thursday announced plans for a “New Gaza” rebuilt from scratch, to include residential towers, data centres and seaside resorts.
The project forms part of US President Donald Trump’s push to advance the Gaza ceasefire that has been shaken by repeated violations.