Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes kill at least 5 in Gaza, including 2 babies, Palestinians say

Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip, including two infants and a woman

Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip, including two infants and a woman.

One strike hit a home in the central city of Deir al-Balah, killing two men and a woman, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the casualties.

The hospital said it also received a 4-month-old boy who was killed in a strike on his family house in the nearby built-up Bureij refugee camp.

An Associated Press journalist saw the four bodies in the hospital morgue.

In Gaza City, an airstrike hit a home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, killing a 3-week-old baby, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency service.

Israel’s military says it only targets militants, who it accuses of hiding among civilians.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters, but says women and children make up over half the fatalities. The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.