As reported by PBS NewsHour, at least 12 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, including two boys, a pregnant woman and eight police officers. According to PBS, one strike hit a residential property in the Nuseirat urban refugee camp in central Gaza, killing a couple in their thirties, their 10‑year‑old son and a 15‑year‑old neighbor, with the woman reportedly pregnant with twins. Hospital officials cited by PBS and other outlets said the bodies were taken to Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which confirmed the fatalities and reported additional wounded.
According to Associated Press reporting carried by multiple outlets, another strike targeted a police vehicle in central Gaza, killing eight members of the Hamas‑run police force. AP‑based reports say the Israeli military stated it struck a Hamas militant in response to an earlier incident in which a militant opened fire at troops, but did not provide further operational details. The police officers killed were described as part of the internal security apparatus that has operated in Gaza since Hamas took control in 2007.
What reactions and context have been reported?
As reported by PBS NewsHour and Associated Press, hospital officials in Gaza said the latest deaths add to a toll that has continued despite a ceasefire arrangement intended to halt major combat in the territory. According to PBS, Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 650 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire deal, with about half of those fatalities reported to be women and children. These figures come on top of more than 72,200 Palestinians reported killed in the wider war since October 2023, when a Hamas‑led attack in southern Israel killed over 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage, according to Israeli authorities and international reporting.
According to AP‑based reports, the Israeli military has said its post‑ceasefire strikes are responses to violations or are aimed at “wanted militants,” while Palestinian officials and local residents report that airstrikes frequently hit or impact civilian areas. PBS reports that Hamas oversees the police force targeted in the latest strikes, which has been responsible both for public security and for cracking down on dissent in Gaza. No immediate official Israeli comment specifically addressing the deaths of the children and pregnant woman was reported in the available coverage.
Supporting details and on‑the‑ground situation
According to PBS NewsHour and AP‑based summaries, the Nuseirat strike took place in an urban refugee camp in central Gaza, an area that has seen repeated displacement as civilians flee fighting in other parts of the enclave. Hospital officials quoted in these reports said 14 people were wounded in the incidents, in addition to those killed, with casualties transported to Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and other facilities. PBS notes that Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital has been one of the main hospitals still functioning in central Gaza amid repeated strikes and severe shortages of medical supplies.
According to PBS and other outlets citing Israeli announcements, Israel has said it would reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt for “limited” passenger traffic following a two‑week closure, while maintaining restrictions on cargo. The reports state that humanitarian agencies have warned that constraints on goods and fuel entering Gaza have exacerbated an existing humanitarian emergency, although detailed humanitarian assessments were not fully included in the brief news summaries. PBS also reports that, despite the ceasefire framework, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and use of live fire near military‑held zones, contributing to the ongoing casualty figures reported by Gaza health officials.
What are the implications and what might happen next?
According to PBS NewsHour’s reporting, the latest fatalities underscore that, while large‑scale ground operations have subsided under the ceasefire deal, lethal incidents continue almost daily and have kept civilian casualties rising. The figures published by Gaza’s Health Ministry and cited by PBS indicate that women and children continue to make up a substantial proportion of those killed, raising ongoing concerns among humanitarian organizations and diplomats about civilian protection. AP‑based reports suggest that as long as Israeli forces continue to respond to alleged militant activity with airstrikes and targeted attacks, and Palestinian armed groups remain active, the risk of further deadly incidents persists even in the absence of full‑scale battles.
According to PBS and AP summaries, Israel’s partial reopening of the Rafah crossing for passengers, but not cargo, may allow some movement of people but is unlikely by itself to resolve widespread shortages of essential goods in Gaza. Future developments will depend on the durability of the ceasefire arrangements, ongoing mediation efforts, and whether both sides limit actions that could trigger renewed escalation, as reflected in the cautious language used by officials cited in the coverage.
The confirmed reports from hospital officials and international media indicate that Sunday’s Israeli strikes killed 12 Palestinians in Gaza, including two boys, a pregnant woman and eight police officers, with additional wounded and ongoing airstrikes reported despite a ceasefire aimed at ending large‑scale combat.
