8 killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

Eight people were killed and several others injured on Monday in a series of Israeli airstrikes in central and southern Gaza, according to Palestinian sources, reported Xinhua.

Medical sources reported that the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah received the bodies of three young men and treated three others who were injured.

Also on Monday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that two people were killed and several others injured by an Israeli shelling targeting the eastern area of al-Bureij.

Earlier in the day, WAFA reported that three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone attack targeting a gathering of people near the Gaza Valley Bridge in central Gaza.

According to WAFA, another Israeli drone on Monday bombed the Al-Janina neighborhood east of Rafah, southern Gaza, resulting in multiple injuries.

The Israeli military confirmed in an earlier statement that it carried out two airstrikes on Monday in central and southern Gaza, likely referring to the attacks near the Gaza Valley Bridge and on the Al-Janina neighborhood.

According to the statement, the military struck three "militants" in central Gaza operating near Israeli troops and attempting to plant an explosive device.

The airstrike in Rafah targeted "several militants" attempting to plant an explosive device near Israeli soldiers, the statement added.

The Israeli military also said in a statement that it hit "two terrorists" who were "attempting to plant an explosive device in the ground" near Israeli troops in al-Bureij.

Israeli forces have recently intensified airstrikes in Gaza amid uncertainty over the durability of a phased ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas in January.

The first six-week phase of the deal expired on March 1, and negotiations on the second phase remain stalled.

The death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, has reached 48,577, with 112,041 others injured, according to a statement released Monday from the Gaza-based health authorities.