Eight Palestinians Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza Residential Zones

Strikes struck Gaza City neighbourhoods well outside the zone Israeli forces are supposed to maintain under the ceasefire.

Published On 18 Jul 202618 Jul 2026

Israeli strikes on two Gaza residential districts killed at least eight Palestinians, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera.

On Saturday, both assaults hit Gaza City neighbourhoods—a warplane levelled an apartment in al‑Nasr while artillery fire struck the adjacent al‑Zeitoun district.

The strikes came after Israel expanded its bombardment beyond the so‑called Yellow Line, the area its forces are supposed to respect under the tenuous ceasefire.

Two missiles hit a second‑floor flat in al‑Nasr, killing five individuals, medical staff at the Al‑Shifa hospital complex informed Al Jazeera.

The building was razed and a nearby block suffered damage, witnesses reported.

Medical sources reported that several nearby residents were injured in the densely populated, pedestrian‑heavy area.

Rescue crews continued to search for survivors buried under the debris, sources warned that the death toll could increase.

Earlier Saturday, artillery fire claimed three lives in al‑Zeitoun, another Gaza City neighbourhood, medical sources said, adding that comparable strikes had recently struck the nearby Tel al‑Hawa district.

Israel acknowledged conducting strikes throughout Gaza, as reported by the Associated Press.

In October, Israel and Hamas accepted a US‑brokered ceasefire, a component of a wider initiative proposed by President Donald Trump to halt hostilities and launch reconstruction.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has persisted with near‑daily attacks, resulting in at least 1,127 Palestinian fatalities—including no fewer than 260 children—since the truce began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which also noted five Israeli soldier deaths over the same span.

Since the war erupted in October 2023, the Palestinian death toll has reached at least 73,000.

Israeli media reported earlier this week that the military now occupies roughly 70 percent of Gaza, far exceeding the about half of the territory it was supposed to control under the ceasefire accord.

Reporting from Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud described the expansion as “shrinking” and “fragmenting” the territory into isolated pockets, making movement “very difficult” for Palestinians.

He added that the process is driving the “erasure of urban life” and threatening residents’ livelihoods.

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