Palestinians dismayed after six killed in separate Israeli strikes on Gaza

Six Palestinians including two girls were killed in separate Israeli strikes near crowded camps for displaced people in Gaza City on Sunday, according to Palestinian Health officials.

In the western side of the Nuseirat refugee camp, a woman and two other girls were killed in Israeli artillery attacks on Sunday night.

The attacks coincided with another Israeli air strike in Gaza that hit a vehicle and killed three Palestinians including a paramedic.

Local witnesses described the chaotic scenes which unfolded when the strikes occurred.

"It was a moment of intense panic for people. Shells were falling on the tents and everyone was running in all directions. Men, women and children felt they had lost any sense of safety. We couldn't even find vehicles to take the wounded to hospitals," said Omar Abu Sweith, a displaced Palestinian.

The strikes came amid an escalating conflict across the Middle East which began after the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28, sparking a wave of retaliatory attacks and an exchange of missiles which has impacted several countries across the region.

Many Gazans say they had thought the situation had calmed down in recent times, but are dismayed by the latest round of Israeli attacks.

After suffering shortages of essential foods including meat, eggs and fruits, many Palestinians are concerned that the attacks on Sunday could signal a new wave of Israeli air strikes and restrictions against the Gaza Strip.

"For the first time, I feel this fear. We thought the war had calmed down, but unfortunately it feels like the war has been going on and the situation is becoming even harder," said Ikram Al-Ustaz, said another displaced Palestinian.

"The second missile fell while I call them, and I couldn't see anything. Then a third missile struck. I risked my life and went in to try to rescue them," said Hammad Shamali, a relative of the attack victims.

Israel has continued attacks in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas taking effect in the enclave on Oct. 10, 2025.

More than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and 171,000 others injured since the war in Gaza broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, according to figures released by Gaza's health authorities on Sunday.

Palestinians dismayed after six killed in separate Israeli strikes on Gaza

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."

Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.

Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.

Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.

Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.

He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.

No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.

The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.

Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.

Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves