Israeli strikes kill six people in Gaza, including Al Jazeera cameraman
A springtime attack by Israeli forces on the Bureij refugee camp in Gaza killed at least six civilians, including Al Jazeera reporter Ahmed Wishah and a child, health officials and rescuers confirmed.
Al Jazeera condemned the killing as a “heinous crime of targeting and killing” a journalist and said Wishah’s death “constitutes a new and flagrant violation of all international laws and norms”.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) described Wishah as “a terrorist in Hamas’ military wing who served as a sniper operative”, but offered no evidence and said he had advanced sniper attack plans against Israeli troops.
Hospital and Hamas-run civil defence reports say two other Palestinians were also killed in the strike, and the IDF accuses all three of being Hamas operatives. The brothers, former report a family that “have no connection to Hamas”, insisted they were civilians.
In Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, an overnight strike destroyed a home, killing four family members, including two children and a woman, according to a local hospital and civil defense statements.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the October ceasefire, which promised a “flood of humanitarian aid” and required Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza’s governance to a neutral body.
The United Nations reports that 81% of Gaza’s buildings were damaged in the fighting; while aid organisations say more assistance is needed, the UN’s humanitarian agency head noted that food shortages dropped from 92% to 36% since the ceasefire began.
Nonetheless, 70% of Gaza’s population still needs proper shelter as sanitation conditions worsen and essential services are “on the brink”, the UN said, warning that the ceasefire is a fragile pause that could break.
Amid escalating tensions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to increase Israeli control of Gaza to 70% of its territory, raising concerns that a new phase of conflict may erupt if Hamas stalls its disarmament talks.
Source: BBC News (June 20 2026)
