IDF strikes drone operators in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, at least nine killed
The IDF confirmed it struck targets who posed a threat to soldiers in Gaza’s northern Beit Lahiya town, as Hamas-affiliated medics told Reuters at least nine Palestinians were killed, reportedly including two local journalists.
The Israeli military fired at two Palestinians who were “operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops,” it said.
Several were critically injured as the strike hit a car, with casualties inside and outside the vehicle, the medics added. The IDF said that a number of Palestinians collected the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle, prompting Israeli forces to fire.
Witnesses and fellow journalists said the people in the car were on a mission for a charity called Al-Khair Foundation in Beit Lahiya, and they were accompanied by journalists and photographers when the strike hit them.
Shaky ceasefire proceedings
The incident coincided with a visit by Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, to Cairo for further ceasefire talks aimed at resolving disputes with Israel that could risk a resumption of fighting in the enclave.
On Friday, Hamas said it had agreed to free an American-Israeli dual national if Israel begins the next phase of ceasefire talks towards a permanent end to the war, an offer Israel dismissed as “psychological warfare.”
Hamas said it had made the offer to release New Jersey native Edan Alexander, after receiving a proposal from mediators for negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal.
Comments are closed.