Israeli attacks kill at least nine in Gaza as UN seeks emergency shelter supplies
A strike on the Nasser Medical Complex was among deadly attacks across Gaza as the United Nations urged access for waterproof tents after widespread flooding.
By Lorenzo Evans ·
At least nine Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including an air strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in western Khan Younis. The attacks came as the United Nations appealed urgently for waterproof tents to protect hundreds of thousands of people exposed to flooding from heavy rain.
Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said at least four Palestinians died in the strike on the medical complex in southern Gaza in the early hours of Thursday. An Israeli air attack on Wednesday also killed Mohammed Salem al-Daash, 38, in the al-Sabra neighbourhood south of Gaza City.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian east of the al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, while a drone strike killed another in the al-Nasr neighbourhood northwest of Gaza City. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City, killed at least two Palestinians and wounded several others.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary described the attacks as indiscriminate targeting of civilians trying to survive. She said a man filling a water tank was killed by a drone strike. In another attack, she reported, two brothers from the al-Absi family died while sheltering in their tent on al-Jalaa Street.
The violence coincided with a worsening shelter crisis. Gaza’s Government Media Office said weekend rainfall flooded at least 70,000 tents. UNICEF reported that heavy rain had directly affected at least 106,000 people in recent days, leaving thousands of tents submerged and causing latrines to overflow into camps for displaced Palestinians.
NGOs and local organisations said they lacked the resources and capacity to respond as Israel continued to restrict essential aid entering Gaza. UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters that funding alone would not be enough to deliver the tents. Permission from Israeli authorities was also needed to bring them into the enclave.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said some countries supporting aid deliveries had indicated that winter supplies would have to await the formation of an Israeli government. Foreign ministers had previously said progress would be difficult before Israeli elections, he said. Calling the further wait “not an acceptable excuse”, Fletcher cited international law and the consequences of delays, blocked assistance and funding cuts.
Italy announced additional emergency assistance on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome had launched an initiative worth 5 million euros, or $5.5 million, to provide immediate support to Gaza following the flooding.
Medical sources told the Palestinian Wafa news agency on Wednesday that 74,653 civilians had been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, with another 176,007 Palestinians injured over the past three years. Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 1,622 Palestinians and injured 5,878 others.
