Gaza civil defence says Israeli attacks kill 7 including 4 children

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory on Thursday killed seven people, including four children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting.

Four people including three children were killed when a drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

In the north of the Gaza Strip, an 11-year-old girl was killed near the Jabalia refugee camp and a strike on a school killed one person, while a drone near Khan Yunis in the south killed a man, the agency added.

When asked by AFP, the Israeli military said it was checking the reports.

READ MORE: Israel says it will uphold Gaza ceasefire as strikes kill 104 people

Earlier on Thursday, the military said a projectile was launched “from the area of Gaza City toward the State of Israel” but that it fell within the Gaza Strip.

“Shortly after, the (military) precisely struck the launch point,” it said in a statement.

Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent ceasefire violations.

Israeli forces have killed at least 425 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The Israeli military said have killed three of its soldiers during the same period.