Deadly Strikes Hit Gaza City and Refugee Camp
Israeli attacks killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, July 12, 2026, including a 9-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials reported. Medics confirmed that Israeli gunfire targeted a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing Tala Abu Matar, aged nine. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the girl's death.
Separately, an airstrike struck a metal foundry in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, killing four people. Witnesses reported that the site was hit with three Israeli missiles. Israel's military told Reuters it had struck “terrorist” infrastructure, without providing further details.
Ceasefire in Name Only
The ceasefire agreed in October 2025 between Israel and Hamas halted major fighting in the enclave, but it has failed to stop Israeli attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians since it took effect. Over the same period, four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza. The latest violence comes as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for further talks on implementing the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.
According to sources close to the talks, discussions include Hamas disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals, but there has not yet been a breakthrough. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2 million people, most of whom have been displaced several times, now live on a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control.
Conflict Toll
Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people during their cross-border attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. The Gaza health ministry said more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since then.
