Israeli shelling kills 5 at Gaza shelter
The Gaza Civil Defense said five people were killed in Israeli shelling at a school-based shelter in the Tufa area of Gaza City. However, the Israeli army claimed it had opened fire on “suspicious individuals”. Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that five bodies had been recovered from Israeli shelling at the Gaza Martyrs School shelter in the Tufa area of eastern Gaza City.
When asked about the incident, the Israeli army said it had identified several “suspicious individuals” near a command structure west of the so-called “Yellow Line” in the northern Gaza Strip. The army said in a statement that soldiers opened fire on the individuals to eliminate the threat immediately after they were identified. The Israeli army said it was aware of the claims of casualties in the area and was reviewing the matter. The statement said it regretted the loss of innocent lives and was working to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Israeli forces have been deployed in Gaza for the past two weeks, just outside the so-called “yellow line” under a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But the ceasefire, which has been in place since October, is fragile. Both sides have accused each other of violations, and mediators fear that both Israel and Hamas are delaying the process.
