Israeli fire killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar in central Gaza, medics said; military gave no immediate comment
A Palestinian girl wounded in an Israeli strike on a tent, according to medics, receives medical treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 8, 2026. REUTERS
Israeli attacks killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a 9-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials said.
Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the girl’s death.
Israel’s military told Reuters it had struck “terrorist” infrastructure, without giving further details.
The ceasefire, opened new tab agreed in October 2025 between Israel and Hamas, halted major fighting in the enclave, but it has failed to stop Israeli attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians since it took effect. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the same period.
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The latest violence comes as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for further talks over implementing the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
The discussions include Hamas disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals, according to sources close to the talks, adding that there had not yet been a breakthrough.
Nearly all of Gaza’s 2 million people, most of whom have been displaced several times, now live on a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control.
Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people during their cross-border attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. The Gaza health ministry said more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since then.