Five Palestinians, including three children, were killed on Wednesday evening in an Israeli strike on the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security and medical sources said.
A relative of one of the deceased children said a group of young people and children were sitting on the ground when the strike occurred, adding that a drone targeted them for no reason at all.
"A group of young people were sitting on the ground as usual, while Israel conducted a reconnaissance operation. Suddenly, they were targeted in a drone strike without any reason. Most of them were children. There were about five children. They were just sitting there peacefully," he said.
The health authorities in Gaza said that since the latest round of large-scale conflict between Palestine and Israel began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed 72,562 people and injured 172,320 others. And since the announcement of a ceasefire on Oct. 10, 2025, 786 Palestinians have been killed and 2,217 others injured by Israeli attacks.
Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza kills several children
Russia reported on Thursday that its forces had hit Ukrainian targets across 138 regions in the past 24 hours, while Ukraine forces claimed on the same day that they had conducted drone attacks against an oil pumping station in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that over the past day, Russian forces struck energy and transportation infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces, as well as temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries across 138 areas.
Russian air defense systems shot down 10 precision-guided bombs and 418 fixed-wing drones, it said.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that its air force, missile troops and artillery units struck multiple equipment assembly areas and command posts of Russian troops, and shot down 1,941 drones.
Ukrainian media outlets reported on Thursday citing a source from the Security Service of Ukraine that Ukrainian drones attacked the Gorky oil pumping station in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, triggering a fire.
Russia claims hitting multiple Ukrainian targets, Ukraine reports striking oil pumping station
