Gaza health officials say Israeli strikes kill five

GAZA CITY: Gaza's civil defence agency and a local hospital said Israeli strikes killed five people and wounded others in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday.

"Three people were killed and several others wounded, some of them seriously" in a drone attack in Rafah in the south, according to Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority.

The local hospital said it had received three bodies and 15 wounded people, one of whom later died from his injuries, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.

Gaza's civil defence agency said another person was killed in a strike in Khan Younis, also in the south.

Asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli army said "we struck terrorists in the area", adding that it would provide further information soon.

The strikes occurred a day after Israelis voted in a hard-fought election that produced no clear winner.

Since the ceasefire began last year, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are considered accurate by the United Nations.

The war began on Oct 7, 2023, following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel responded with a massive military campaign that has destroyed much of Gaza and killed more than 74,500 people, according to the territory's health ministry.