Israeli attack on Gaza kills two Palestinians

An Israeli air strike on a vehicle in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City killed at least two people and wounded 13 others, medics reported on Sunday. Local health workers said the bodies of those killed were dismembered and appealed for public help to identify them. Video footage circulating on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed the targeted vehicle badly mangled, with its roof and doors torn away.

The Israeli military said the strike was aimed at two Hamas fighters. The attack came amid a pattern of near-daily Israeli operations in Gaza since a United States-brokered “ceasefire” went into effect last October; Gaza health authorities say more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since that truce began.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned that several hospital generators have recently stopped working because of shortages of oil, fuel and spare parts. Officials said the limited oil Israel has allowed into the territory is being used only for emergency needs and is far below the roughly 2,500 litres per month hospitals reportedly require.

Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and of undermining a US plan that envisions an eventual Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas. During a visit to Ireland, US President Donald Trump defended his administration’s record on Gaza, saying his team had “put out the fire” and brought the hostages back, and asserting there was relatively little happening there at present. Local authorities in Gaza say at least 73,669 people, mostly women and children, have died since October 2023.