Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 3 children and 6 adults, health officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Saturday killed at least nine Palestinians, including three children, hospital officials said.

A strike on an apartment in the Nasr neighborhood killed at least five people, including the children between the ages of 8 and 18, said Mohammed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital where the bodies were taken. Six other people were wounded, including four children between the ages of 8 and 16, he said.

Israel's military said it targeted Hamas infrastructure and had located Hamas militants in the area, without elaborating.

Another Israeli strike hit a group of people in the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing four and wounding another critically, health officials said.

The Israeli military said it targeted a “Hamas terrorist” and it was looking into the results of the strike.

Palestinians have reported an increase in the scale of Israeli strikes across the enclave over the past few days.

Despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October between Israel and the Hamas militant group, Israel still carries out near-daily attacks across the territory. It says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat. Hamas and Israel have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire.

At least 1,127 Palestinians, including at least 260 children, have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in that time.

The Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 others taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 73,250 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all deaths.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Residents inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Residents inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Residents inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Residents inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Residents inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians spend the day on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets slugger Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of a left calf strain.

Soto walked twice against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki in Friday night’s 4-2 loss at Citi Field before being replaced by pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1.

After the game, Mets interim manager Andy Green said Soto felt discomfort pushing off when running to second base. He had been nursing the nagging injury since returning from the All-Star break last week.

Soto is hitting .283 with 21 homers, 52 RBIs and an NL-best .947 OPS in 84 games this season. He missed 15 games from April 4-21 with a right calf strain, and the Mets went 3-12 without him — losing their last 12 games during that stretch.

Soto sat out Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Milwaukee but was back in the lineup Friday after the Mets had a day off.

The lone All-Star for the last-place Mets this year, Soto exited the team’s first game after the break in the eighth inning on July 16 at Philadelphia. New York was off the following day, and he returned to the lineup as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies. He played left field Monday in Milwaukee and was the DH on Tuesday.

To replace Soto on the active roster, the Mets recalled corner infielder and outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. Wagaman was hitting .162 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 major league games this season.

This story corrects Soto's batting average and removes an incorrect reference to Bo Bichette grounding into a double play in the second inning Friday night. Bichette grounded into a double play in the third inning.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Mets' Juan Soto hits an RBI single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)