Israeli Fire Kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza Including 2 Children, 3 Journalists/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Israeli military fire killed at least 11 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including two 13‑year‑old boys, three journalists, and a woman, hospital officials said. The deaths occurred amid ongoing tensions and near a ceasefire line that continues to see frequent clashes. The incident underscores the fragile security situation in Gaza and raises further humanitarian concerns in the densely populated territory.
Gaza Deaths and Escalating Tensions Quick Look
- Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians, including two children and three journalists.
- The fatalities occurred on one of the deadliest days since the October ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
- Three journalists were killed while documenting life near a displacement camp in central Gaza.
- Two 13‑year‑old boys were among the children killed, one struck by military fire while collecting firewood.
- An Israeli strike hit a vehicle carrying journalists documenting humanitarian operations.
- Israel said the strike near the displacement camp targeted individuals operating a drone threatening its troops.
- A Palestinian woman was shot and killed by Israeli troops in Khan Younis, hospital officials said.
- Three brothers were killed by tank shelling in the Bureij refugee camp.
- Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 470 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire, including at least 77 near the split line.
- Israel continued airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, killing two people.
Deep Look
Israeli Fire Kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza, Including 2 Children and 3 Journalists
CAIRO — January 21, 2026 — Israeli forces killed at least 11 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, including two 13‑year‑old boys, a woman, and three journalists, hospital officials and witnesses said. The deaths marked one of the deadliest days in Gaza since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October and underscored the ongoing volatility along the divided territory.
The fatalities were reported amid continued efforts by the United States and other mediators to advance the next phase of the ceasefire — one intended to include wide security guarantees, infrastructure rebuilding, and broader humanitarian relief. But Wednesday’s violence raised serious questions about the ceasefire’s durability and the challenges of preventing further civilian harm.
Journalists Killed While Reporting
Three Palestinian journalists were killed when Israeli fire struck a vehicle near a displacement camp in central Gaza, officials said. The journalists had been documenting the establishment of a new camp managed by an Egyptian government‑linked committee designed to shelter displaced families. The incident occurred near the Netzarim area, roughly 5 kilometers from territory controlled by Israeli forces.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted suspects operating a drone that posed a threat to its troops, and that it believed the vehicle was linked to those individuals. Video circulated online showed the charred remains of the vehicle on the roadside amid rising smoke.
One of the journalists killed, Abdul Raouf Shaat, regularly contributed work to major international outlets though he was not on assignment for any one organization at the time. Journalists in Gaza have long faced danger in the conflict, and human rights groups have reported the deaths of more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers since the war began in 2023. Among them was Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked for several international news agencies.
International reporters have limited direct access to Gaza, as Israeli authorities have barred many journalists from entry. As a result, much of the world’s understanding of the situation in the territory relies on the reporting of Palestinian journalists and civilian footage from within the enclave.
Young Boys Among the Dead
Two 13‑year‑old boys were also killed in separate incidents. Hospital officials said one boy, his father, and another young man were struck by Israeli drones on the eastern edge of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Officials said it was not immediately clear whether the three had crossed into territory controlled by Israel at the time of the strike.
In another incident, a 13‑year‑old boy, identified as Moatsem al‑Sharafy, was shot and killed by troops while collecting firewood in the eastern town of Bani Suheila. A widely shared video shows his father weeping beside his son’s body on a hospital bed. The boy’s mother said he had left home hungry in the morning to find wood for the family to cook with.
Other Fatalities and Escalations
In the southern city of Khan Younis, hospital officials said a Palestinian woman was shot and killed by Israeli troops in the Muwasi area. Elsewhere, three brothers died in shelling by an Israeli tank in the Bureij camp, according to hospital records.
Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under the Hamas‑led government, said more than 470 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began. At least 77 of those fatalities occurred near the ceasefire line that separates much of Palestinian Gaza from Israeli‑controlled areas. The ministry’s records are considered generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent observers.
Humanitarian Strains Despite Aid
The ceasefire’s first phase halted large‑scale warfare that had raged for more than two years, displacing swaths of Gaza’s population and devastating the territory’s infrastructure. It enabled a surge in humanitarian aid deliveries, particularly food. But residents say critical shortages persist in other areas, including warm clothing and blankets needed during winter, and the supply of firewood and fuel remains scant.
Power remains intermittent or absent throughout much of Gaza, with residents enduring extended blackouts. The territory’s electrical grid has been effectively incapacitated since the early days of the war, leaving hospitals and homes reliant on generators and limited backup systems.
More than 100 children have died since the ceasefire began, including at least two infants who recently succumbed to hypothermia amid the cold and lack of heat.
Ceasefire, Hostages, and Unresolved Loss
The October ceasefire agreement was designed to facilitate the return of remaining hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees and partial Israeli troop withdrawals. Israeli authorities have returned all but one of the hostages. The remaining missing captive is Ran Gvili, a 24‑year‑old Israeli police officer who died while resisting militants during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Gvili’s family has renewed calls for full transparency and repatriation of his remains.
Hamas said it provided all available information on the location of Gvili’s body to mediators and accused Israel of impeding search operations in areas it controls within Gaza.
Regional Escalation: Strikes in Southern Lebanon
Violence was not confined to Gaza on Wednesday. Israeli airstrikes struck three villages in southern Lebanon, targeting infrastructure the military said belonged to Hezbollah militants. The operations included strikes on alleged weapons storage facilities and involved the use of drones to hit vehicles in the villages.
The Lebanese state news agency reported that two civilians were killed in the southern villages of Bazouriyeh and Zahrani. Residents of Qennarit, near the port city of Sidon, had been warned to evacuate ahead of the strikes. These attacks continued a pattern of near‑daily Israeli military action in southern Lebanon since the conclusion of the 14‑month Israel‑Hezbollah conflict more than a year ago. The ceasefire that ended that war included an agreement for militant disarmament that Israel says has not been implemented.
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