Israeli fire in Gaza Strip said to kill 7, including 13-year-old boy

Seven people were killed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to local emergency services, which said that the victims included a 13-year-old boy.

According to the Hamas-run Civil Defense agency, the boy and his father were killed in a strike on the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City.

In other parts of the city, it said three people were killed in an Israeli strike on what it called a metal workshop in the Sabra neighborhood, and a sixth person was killed in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people.

In the south of the Palestinian territory, a seventh Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire near Khan Yunis, the Hamas agency told AFP.

The hospitals that received the victims’ bodies confirmed the reports.

Contacted for comment, the Israeli military said it had “struck terror operatives in several areas,” without providing further details. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, after two years of war triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Hamas figures do not differentiate between civilians and terror operatives.

UNICEF says Israel blocking Gaza water basin repairs, warns of flood risk

Meanwhile, the UN children’s agency said Israel had rejected the importation of equipment needed to repair a water basin in Gaza, and warned that the facility could overflow and endanger nearby residents through flooding and disease.

Local authorities say Israel destroyed water infrastructure and vehicles used to pump water. One damaged facility is the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin in Gaza City, which is now contaminated with sewage and at risk of overflowing after heavy rainfall, according to UNICEF’s James Elder.

He told reporters the agency had been working with Israeli authorities and US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for a year on a $3 million plan to repair it, but that COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing humanitarian affairs in Gaza, had rejected the project in the past few days.

“Toxic sewage could flow into the streets and tents of Gaza City, forcing children and families from their makeshift homes once more, and grossly increasing the threat of disease. So we’re a bit baffled,” he told a press briefing in Geneva.

“Let’s do the rehabilitation before this becomes another entirely preventable killer of girls and boys in Gaza,” he said.

COGAT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

F1 legend Hamilton tours Gaza aid facilities on Egyptian side of Rafah Crossing

Also on Tuesday, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton arrived at Egypt’s Rafah to visit organizations sending humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Hamilton has spoken out about humanitarian crises and conflict zones in the region, calling for peace. He has frequently posted on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. He has also addressed other conflicts.

“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage,” Hamilton said last month.

Hamilton toured Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza before visiting logistics warehouses operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which facilitates aid entry into Gaza.

At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers, shook hands and briefly spoke with workers and officials.

Khaled Megawer, the governor of North Sinai, where Rafah is located, said the visit aims to help Hamilton learn about Egypt’s efforts to send aid to Gaza.

The visit comes after Hamilton made his 400th race start on Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Hamilton, the first Black driver to race in F1, made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He is only the second driver in F1 to start 400 races, following his former teammate Fernando Alonso, who achieved the milestone in 2024.