Gaza drone strikes killed at least six Palestinians across the Strip on Saturday, according to Palestinian medical and emergency workers, as Israeli drone attacks hit targets in northern, central and southern Gaza despite a year-old ceasefire.
FAKTA
- Six Palestinians killed in Israeli drone strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, October 17, 2026, according to Palestinian medical and emergency workers.
- Locations: Jabalia refugee camp, al-Mawasi in Rafah, Tuffah and eastern Gaza City, and Deir el-Balah.
- 1,511 Palestinians killed and 5,375 injured since the US-brokered ceasefire was announced on October 10, 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.
- More than 340 children killed since the ceasefire began, according to UNICEF.
- 74,469 Palestinians killed and 175,492 injured since the war began in October 2023, the ministry says.
Where Saturday’s Gaza Drone Strikes Hit
A Palestinian man was killed and several others wounded when an Israeli drone struck a group of civilians near the al-Faluja cemetery, west of the Jabalia refugee camp, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported, citing medical sources.
One Palestinian was killed and several injured when an Israeli drone struck the al-Mawasi area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Wafa said.
In Gaza City, two people were killed and others wounded in the Tuffah neighbourhood in the northeast of the city, according to staff at al-Shifa Hospital. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the people hit were returning from the burial of an earlier attack victim. Another person was killed in a drone attack in eastern Gaza City, al-Shifa Hospital said.
In central Gaza, staff at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported one person killed and another injured in Deir el-Balah.
A Year Into the Ceasefire
The strikes came a year after the United States-brokered “ceasefire” was announced on October 10, 2025. In an update issued on Saturday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said 1,511 Palestinians had been killed and 5,375 injured since the ceasefire was announced.
In an update covering the preceding 48 hours, the ministry reported six deaths and 43 injuries across the Strip. Since the war began in October 2023, it said, 74,469 Palestinians had been killed and 175,492 injured.
UNICEF: More Than 340 Children Killed Since the Ceasefire
The continuing toll on children was highlighted on Friday by UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, spokesman Ricardo Pires said more than 340 children had been killed since the ceasefire began.
He said seven children had died in attacks over the previous two weeks, with at least 33 others seriously injured. UNICEF said about 800,000 children remained displaced, many in tents or unsafe buildings as winter approaches.
Two Million Squeezed Into a Shrinking Zone
The violence comes as Gaza’s population faces growing restrictions on where to live. Mapping published by Al Jazeera on October 12 showed Israeli forces control or restrict access to about 65 percent of the territory.
The “Yellow Line”, initially established to mark Israeli military positions after a partial withdrawal under the “ceasefire”, has been pushed further into Palestinian areas, the report said. The remaining accessible area is home to 2.1 million people.
For more coverage, see Watan News Middle East.
