Israel hits Gaza as tensions surge on Lebanon border

Army says its artillery, aircraft hit launch sites of projectiles fired into southern Israel

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Israeli strikes hit Gaza on June 14 as truce talks with Hamas militants failed to progress and tensions surged on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

Witnesses reported the strikes in various parts of the Gaza Strip in the morning, particularly the centre.

At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, men gathered over the body of an 11-year-old boy who died during bombardment of the nearby Bureij refugee camp.

Clad in a black singlet, the child lay on a floor smeared with fresh blood, a white bandage covering the top half of his face, AFP images showed.

Israel’s military on June 14 said troops continued operations in central Gaza, where warplanes had struck a militant cell and “military structure” in the Zeitun area.

After projectiles were fired at night from northern Gaza into southern Israel on June 13, artillery and aircraft hit the launch sites, the army said.

The war began after Hamas’ unprecedented Oct 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The militants also seized 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has left at least 37,266 people dead in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Fears of a broader Middle East conflict have surged again, with Lebanon-based Hezbollah fighters, who are backed by Iran, launching waves of rockets against Israeli military targets on June 12 and 13.

Hezbollah said the strikes were retaliation for the Israeli killing of one of its commanders.