Two killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, including 4-year-old; West Bank violence continues

At least two people, including a four-year-old boy, were killed and seven others wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on August 23, Palestinian health officials told Reuters. Local medical sources said one of the dead was four-year-old Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, who died after being wounded by blast debris and later succumbing in hospital. The strikes struck central Gaza locations, including a building in the town of Zawayda and an area inside the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Residents and local sources said the building in Zawayda was targeted after the Israeli military issued warnings to property owners to evacuate the area. Medics described how fragments and shrapnel from the blast scattered over tens of metres, causing additional injuries; at least six people were hurt by flying debris in that explosion, according to the reports. Palestinian health officials said the second strike hit parts of the nearby Nuseirat camp, a densely populated displacement site.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the circumstances of both strikes. In a separate statement late on Saturday, the military also said it had killed a senior Hamas militant, identified as Sharif al-Hasnati, in Deir al-Balah. The military described him as responsible for efforts to restore the group’s underground infrastructure. Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union, has accused Israel of violating the terms of a US-backed ceasefire and of attempting to obstruct broader US plans — described by the source as those of US President Donald Trump — aimed at ending the Gaza conflict and envisaging the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hamas.

The strikes came despite a ceasefire agreement that, while credited with halting large-scale fighting in the devastated enclave, has not ended all Israeli military operations aimed at what Israel describes as preventing attacks by Hamas and other militants in Gaza. Palestinian health authorities said that since a ceasefire that took effect last October, more than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed. The Israeli military has said four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the same period.

Violence also continued on the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities said a man was stabbed and wounded near Jericho by a suspect believed to be Palestinian; footage released by security services showed a man waiting beside a vehicle on a main road near Jericho before approaching and stabbing an Israeli man, after which the suspect fled on foot and was pursued by Israeli soldiers. In a separate incident, Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year-old boy, Islam Ajuri, during a raid near the Askar refugee camp close to Nablus. The Israeli military said it was investigating that shooting as well.

The West Bank — home to some three million Palestinians and roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers — has seen an uptick in violence, including attacks by settlers and the appropriation of land and resources, actions that United Nations bodies and most states consider to be breaches of international law. Israel disputes that characterisation, citing historical and biblical ties to the land in defending its policies.

The incidents in Gaza and the West Bank underline the fragile security situation and the ongoing risks to civilians in both areas. Humanitarian and rights groups have repeatedly warned that continued strikes in populated areas, repeated raids, and the overall pattern of violence raise serious concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of non-combatants. The Israeli military’s investigations into the recent strikes and shootings will be watched closely by international observers amid calls for accountability and protection for civilians caught in the hostilities.