Gazan media reports 7 children killed in strike; IDF denies hitting civilians

Media outlets in Gaza report that seven children were killed in a strike on a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.

Graphic footage shared online shows a man mourning over the bodies of seven children at a hospital in the city.

The IDF has called on residents of the neighborhood to evacuate in recent weeks, including in a message from the IDF spokesperson last week.

The IDF’s Spokesperson’s Office says it struck “Hamas terrorists who were inside a command center” used by the group to plan attacks on troops.

“We are not aware of any civilian casualties in the strike,” a spokesperson says, noting extensive measures taken to minimize risk to civilians.

“Terrorist organizations in the Strip systematically violate international law, cruelly exploiting civilian institutions and the population as human shields for terrorist activities,” the spokesperson adds.

Hamas claims over 60,000 people have been killed in the war, though the figures are impossible to verify and do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.