Israeli strikes hit Gaza shelters, killing four amid deteriorating camp conditions

At least four people were killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to local health officials. Three men died in separate strikes in Gaza City, with their bodies taken to Shifa Hospital, while another person was killed when a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians was hit in southern Gaza. Several others were injured. Israel’s military said the strikes targeted Hamas militants.

The attacks came as Palestinians continued to live in makeshift shelters after months of war and repeated displacement. In Gaza City, displaced resident Mohammad Hamad said on 27 August that people remained afraid to let their children outside and questioned whether the ceasefire was holding.

Conditions are also deteriorating in overcrowded displacement camps. Footage filmed in Khan Younis in August showed displaced families dealing with rats, scorpions and other pests amid damaged sanitation systems and piles of rubble. The United Nations said in April that rodents and other pests were frequently observed at 80 per cent of displacement sites.