GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Three Palestinians were killed on Monday in an Israeli drone attack in central Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The drone targeted a gathering of people near the Gaza Valley Bridge on Monday afternoon, injuring a few others, WAFA reported.
According to WAFA, another Israeli drone on Monday bombed the Al-Janina neighborhood east of Rafah, southern Gaza, resulting in various injuries.
Also on Monday, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that it carried out two airstrikes in central and southern Gaza.
According to the statement, the military struck three "militants" in central Gaza operating near Israeli troops and attempting to plant an explosive device.
The other airstrike in the Rafah area targeted "several militants" attempting to plant an explosive device near Israeli soldiers, the statement said.
Israeli forces have recently intensified airstrikes in Gaza amid uncertainty over the durability of a phased ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas in January.
The first six-week phase of the deal expired on March 1, and negotiations on the second phase remain stalled.
The death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, has reached 48,577, with 112,041 others injured, according to a statement released Monday from the Gaza-based health authorities. ■
