23 more people killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza, medics say

Israeli strikes killed at least 23 people in the Gaza Strip overnight into Tuesday, according to Palestinian medics.

The dead include three children and their parents, who were killed in a strike on their tent near the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital.

The hospital has received a flood of dead and wounded since Israel resumed its heavy bombardment of Gaza last week, shattering the ceasefire that had halted the 17-month war.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 113,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.

Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel launched the campaign vowing to destroy Hamas after its attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023 in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251.

Israel says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it operates in densely populated areas.

Meanwhile, the wife of an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was reportedly attacked by Jewish settlers before being detained by the Israeli army said that he was beaten in front of his home by three men in military fatigues while another filmed it.

Hamdan Ballal and the other directors of No Other Land, which looks at the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, appeared on stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when it won the award for best documentary film.

Mr Ballal and two other Palestinians detained with him were released on Tuesday afternoon from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba.

Mr Ballal had bruises on his face and blood on his clothes, and the three were driven to a hospital in the neighbouring Palestinian city of Hebron, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

Their lawyer, Lea Tsemel, said they spent the night on the floor of a military base while receiving only minimal care for their injuries from the alleged attack.

She had earlier said they were accused of throwing stones at a young settler, allegations they deny.

Palestinian residents say around two dozen settlers — some masked, some carrying guns and some in military uniforms — attacked the West Bank village of Susiya on Monday evening as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones, they said.

The Israeli military said on Monday it had detained three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at forces and one Israeli civilian involved in a what it described as a violent confrontation.

Lamia Ballal, the director’s wife, said she heard her husband being beaten outside their home as she huddled inside with their three children.

She said she heard him screaming, “I’m dying!” and calling for an ambulance. When she looked out of the window, she said she saw three men in uniform beating Mr Ballal with the butts of their rifles and another person in civilian clothes who appeared to be filming the violence.

“Of course, after the Oscar, they have come to attack us more,” she said. “I felt afraid.”