Israeli strikes kill five in Gaza

Gaza health officials said Israeli strikes on Saturday killed five people, including four members of the same family, in the latest violence to rock the Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire.

Israel and Hamas trade near-daily accusations of truce violations and the Gaza Strip remains gripped by bloodshed as progress on permanently ending the war remains stalled.

An overnight Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City killed four members of the Al Safadi family, including the husband, wife and their two daughters, said the civil defence agency, a rescue service that operates under Hamas authority.

It said the strike also injured 12 others.

Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital confirmed receiving the bodies of four members of the Al Safadi family, including two children.

The hospital also said it had received another body following a separate Israeli drone strike near an intersection in the north of Gaza City.

When asked by the media about the two incidents, the Israeli military did not offer an immediate response.

At least 1,012 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on October 10 last year, according to Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks during the same period.

Restrictions imposed on media outlets and limited access in Gaza prevent the media from independently verifying tolls or freely covering the violence there.

Agence France-Presse