At least seven people were killed and more than 20 were injured after an Israeli drone airstrike targeted mourning procession in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The attack took place in the Al-Balata market area, directly in front of the Ahmad Yassin mosque. Witnesses reported that the crowd had been waiting for the funeral of a Palestinian who had been killed in another Israeli attack earlier that day.
According to an official statement from the Al-Awda hospital in Nusseirat, where the victims were admitted, the attack resulted in the immediate death of seven civilians and the number of seriously injured people was 22. The Palestinian news agency (Anadolu Agency / aa.com.tr/en/middle-east) and independent media sources released footage from the scene of the incident, showing bodies of dead people in the streets and mass panic among the civilian population.
The Palestinian movement “Hamas“ strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a “brutal massacre“ against grieving citizens. In an official statement, the group called on the international community and the UN to take immediate action to stop the Israeli attacks on the enclave.
Israel's reaction and the escalation of the conflict
The Israeli army (IDF) confirmed the strike in central Gaza. In a statement, the Israeli military said the operation had targeted a "terrorist cell" of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. The Defense Headquarters added that it was aware of the allegations of civilian casualties and that the incident was being investigated (aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/17/israeli-attacks-on-gaza-kill-14-including-mourners-attending-funeral).
The attack comes against the backdrop of an extremely fragile ceasefire, brokered by the United States in October last year. Despite the nominal truce, tensions and daily attacks continue. According to data from the Gaza Health Ministry (theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/israeli-strike-gaza-funeral-multiple-deaths), cited by world agencies, more than 1,120 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the ceasefire agreement came into effect.
The research group ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project / acleddata.com), which monitors political violence around the world, recently reported a sharp spike in Israeli airstrikes in the enclave, with more than 40 attacks recorded in the previous month of June alone - the highest monthly number since the start of the ceasefire. The total number of Palestinian deaths since the outbreak of the war in October 2023 now exceeds 73,000 people.