Israeli airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in central Gaza Strip

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - At least three Palestinian civilians were killed on Thursday following an airstrike by Israeli warplanes in the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli fighter jets targeted a gathering of Palestinian civilians with missiles this evening, north of the Al-Bureij refugee camp, witnesses told Anadolu.

A medical source told Anadolu that “three martyrs were brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah city, central Gaza Strip.”

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed about 1,200 people. More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,500 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala