Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 12, targeting funeral

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday, July 17, 2026, killed at least a dozen Palestinians, with a central attack targeting a funeral procession in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The deadliest incident occurred in the Al-Balata market area, where an Israeli airstrike killed eight people and wounded at least 22, according to Gaza's Al-Awda Hospital and local civil defense officials. Witnesses and officials said the strike hit mourners gathered for the funeral of a man killed in a separate Israeli strike earlier that same day.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike in Nuseirat, stating it had targeted a terrorist cell of the Islamic Jihad organization and was reviewing claims that uninvolved individuals were harmed. Hamas, which controls Gaza, condemned the attack as a brutal massacre against mourners and called on international mediators and the United Nations to intervene.

Friday's violence was not isolated. Separate Israeli strikes and gunfire were reported in locations from north to south across the enclave. In Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, a 52-year-old woman was reported killed near a school. Another woman was reported shot dead southwest of Khan Younis....