More than 70,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry.
The death toll has continued to rise since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, when Israel carried out airstrikes over what it says are violations of the truce, while bodies continue to be recovered from beneath the rubble.
Among those reportedly killed in an Israeli drone strike on Saturday were two young brothers, Fadi and Juma Abu Assi, whose family said they were collecting firewood when they were killed.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that they had attacked two suspects who had crossed the so-called yellow line.
The line marks the spot where the Israeli army agreed to withdraw under a US-brokered ceasefire more than seven weeks ago.
The children who died were described in the media as an eight-year-old boy and his brother, 10 or 11 years old.
Relatives said the children were searching for firewood east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip when they were killed.
His funeral was held on Saturday at the Nasser Hospital.
Figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health have been widely used during the war and are considered reliable by the United Nations (UN) and international institutions. But Israel has consistently questioned the data published by Gaza authorities.
Israel prevents international journalists, including the BBC, from entering Gaza independently, so they cannot verify either side’s figures.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says the Palestinian death toll is now 70,100 and that more than 350 of those deaths have occurred since the Oct. 10 ceasefire.
The Israeli military launched its offensive against Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.
