Israeli air attack kills seven children from one Gaza family

Gaza's civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

Violence in the Gaza Strip continues to rock the coastal territory more than 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war, even as international mediators work to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants.

"There are 10 martyrs ... all targeted by an air strike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, southwest of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six," civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal said the strike injured 15 other people.

The Israeli military told AFP it had struck "several terrorists who were operating in a military structure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization and posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the area".

"According to an initial examination, the reported number of casualties resulting from the strike does not align with the information held by the IDF," it added.

"The IDF continues to precisely operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in accordance with international law, including taking measures to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians."

Israel in early October began a major military operation in Gaza's north, which it said aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.

Amid the ongoing violence, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are engaged in renewed negotiations to halt the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages still held by militants in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the United States expressed "cautious optimism" about the prospects of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

The war was sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Hamas militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 96 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,206 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Sweden ends UNRWA funding

Sweden announced plans Friday to stop funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency in response to an Israeli ban, but pledged to increase its aid to Gaza via other groups.

Funding earmarked for Gaza will total 800 million kronor ($72 million) in 2025, but aid to UNRWA, which totalled 451 million kronor in 2024, will be stopped, said the government.

Israeli lawmakers have passed legislation to bar UNRWA from operating in Israel and east Jerusalem, while raising the prospect of similar measures against other aid agencies.

Lawmakers backed the legislation after years of harsh Israeli criticism of UNRWA, which has only increased since the start of the war in Gaza following Hamas's deadly October 7 attacks last year.

"Israel's two decisions in the Knesset, which Sweden has criticised, will make many of UNRWA's activities more difficult and impossible," Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation, said in a post to X.

UNRWA provides assistance to nearly six million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

"Swedish aid must reach its destination, not get stuck in a bank account along the way," Dousa said.

"Due to Israel's decision in the Knesset, we are therefore forced to pass on the aid to other organisations," he added, citing the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) and UN children's organisation UNICEF.

Dousa added that UNRWA was "also going through a crisis of confidence".

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on X that the Swedish government's decision was "disappointing" and came "at the worst time for Palestine Refugees".

"This is a sad day for Palestine Refugees and the multilateral system which Sweden has spearheaded," he added.

Lazzarini said he hoped Stockholm would "reconsider its decision and pursue its longstanding solidarity by investing in both a political solution and the human development of Palestine Refugees through UNRWA".

The agency has faced criticism from Israeli officials that has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza, which was unleashed after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

In response, Israel launched a withering assault on Gaza that has killed at least 45,129 people, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run health ministry figures that the United Nations considers reliable.