Two killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza

(Patria) - At least two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Wednesday, local health authorities announced. The Israeli military stated it was a retaliatory strike against a Hamas militant launched after their troops came under fire, Reuters reported.

Medical officials did not immediately identify the deceased. They said several people were also injured in the airstrike on a house in Gaza City. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

The Israeli military said Hamas militants had fired on soldiers earlier on Wednesday and that the target of the airstrike was a senior Hamas member who directed attacks against their troops. The military did not say if it suffered any casualties.

Separately on Wednesday, in the southern Gaza area of Rafah, an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia announced it had killed two Hamas members, posing a new challenge to the militant group.

Almost all of Gaza's two million residents live in Hamas-controlled areas, where the group is re-establishing its control and where four Hamas sources said it still commands thousands of men despite heavy blows suffered during the war.
But Israel still holds significantly more than half of Gaza – areas where Hamas enemies operate outside its reach. With US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza proceeding slowly, there is no immediate prospect of further Israeli withdrawal.

Fighting has significantly subsided since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of war, but has not ceased entirely. Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce.

More than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians according to Gaza health officials, have been killed since the start of the ceasefire, as have three Israeli soldiers.