GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, April 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli airstrike targeted a group of civilians in a northern part of the Palestinian territory late on Wednesday, killing five people including three children.

Despite an October 10 ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as both the Israeli military and Hamas accuse one another of breaking the truce.

"Five Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of civilians near Al-Qassam mosque in Beit Lahia," the agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas authority, said in a statement.

"Their bodies were taken to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City," it said, without specifying how old the children were.

The hospital confirmed it received the bodies.

The Israeli military told AFP it was checking the reports.

A fragile truce has largely halted the Gaza war that began after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, but both sides regularly accuse each other of ceasefire violations.

At least 786 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The Israeli military has reported five soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the truce.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.