Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza kill three Palestinians including four-year-old child

On Sunday, 23 August 2026, Israeli airstrikes struck multiple locations across the central Gaza Strip, killing three Palestinians, including a four-year-old child. In the municipality of Al-Zawayda, located near the urbanized Maghazi refugee camp, an aerial bombardment struck a building, triggering an explosion and causing structural destruction. Residents in the neighbourhood reported that the Israeli military had contacted the owners of the property shortly before the strike, instructing them to evacuate the area. Flying debris and fragmentation from the blast wounded several people nearby, including four-year-old Mohammad Abdel-Salam Taha, who later died from his injuries at the hospital.

A second Israeli strike on Sunday hit the nearby Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, where one additional person was killed. Local rescue teams and civil defence units operating in central Gaza gathered the deceased and the wounded from both strike zones, transferring them directly to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. The emergency service confirmed the arrival of victims following the bombardment in Al-Zawayda.

The two martyrs as well as several wounded were transported to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah.

Military claims and Deir al-Balah strike

The Israeli military told reporters that its forces had targeted a terrorist during the Sunday operations, adding that the army is currently investigating the circumstances of the strikes in both Al-Zawayda and Al-Nuseirat. The Sunday attacks followed another targeted military operation conducted in central Gaza one day earlier. On Saturday, 22 August, the Israeli military announced in an official statement that it had killed Sharif Al-Hasnat, identified as a senior Hamas commander, in the city of Deir al-Balah. Israeli authorities stated that Al-Hasnat was responsible for directing operations to reconstruct subterranean military infrastructure and underground tunnel networks across the territory.

Ceasefire toll and diplomatic stalemate

Hamas has accused Israel of repeatedly breaching the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025. While Israeli military activity in the enclave has decreased in volume, armed operations have persisted without a total cessation of hostilities. According to casualty records published by the Gaza Health Ministry, which the United Nations evaluates as reliable, Israeli military actions have caused 1,286 Palestinian deaths since the October 2025 truce began. Over the same reporting period, the Israeli military has stated that four Israeli soldiers have been killed.

Diplomatic attempts to end the fighting remain deadlocked following the failure of a United States peace initiative. In late July 2026, United States President Donald Trump unveiled an American roadmap that proposed the complete disarmament of Hamas alongside the total withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the Gaza Strip. Hamas formally accepted the roadmap, but Israel rejected the plan. Israeli officials declared that any withdrawal of troops from the Palestinian territory remains strictly contingent upon a genuine and verified disarmament of Hamas fighters.