Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 Palestinians, including mourners at a funeral in Gaza, on July 16, 2026, as the so-called ceasefire with Hamas continued to be violated, according to multiple reports.
Israeli strikes on Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on July 16, 2026, killed 14 people, including at least eight mourners attending the funeral of a Palestinian killed in a prior attack, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and a hospital.
The Funeral Strike: A Drone Attack on Mourners
Witnesses reported that an Israeli drone targeted a group of mourners gathered outside the Ahmad Yassin Mosque in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least eight and wounding 20, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and Al-Awda Hospital. The strike occurred as families prepared for a funeral procession for a Palestinian killed earlier that day in a separate Israeli attack, the outlet said. There is no regard for the ceasefire,
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, told viewers. The people who were participating in the [funeral] procession were coming out of the mosque [when] a drone strike targeted a group of people within the procession itself.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating it targeted a “terrorist” cell but acknowledged several uninvolved individuals were harmed
and that the results were “under review,” according to AFP. Hamas condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous crime” committed while Israel continues to kill and terrorise innocent citizens in front of the eyes of mediators and the international community,
the group said in a statement.
Casualty Discrepancies and Official Responses
Casualty figures varied across sources, reflecting the challenges of verifying on-the-ground reports. Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat confirmed eight deaths and 20 injuries from the funeral strike. Reuters reported five fatalities from separate strikes, while AP News stated that at least a dozen people were killed over two days, including a senior police commander in Jabaliya. These discrepancies underscore the difficulty of tracking casualties in a conflict where media access is restricted.
Israel’s military confirmed the Nuseirat attack targeted a terrorist
cell.
Escalating Violence and Ceasefire Violations
The funeral strike occurred amid a surge in Israeli attacks, with the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) reporting over 40 strikes in June—the highest monthly total since the ceasefire began. The research group noted that violence has intensified since May. The entire people of Gaza have not lived a single day or a single moment of ceasefire. This ceasefire is an illusion,
said Jibril Khattab, a relative of one of the victims, in a Reuters interview.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has continued targeting Gaza’s police stations, including a strike in Jabaliya that killed six police officers, according to AP News. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry identified one of the slain officers as Mohamad Marwan Salem, a senior police commander.
Broader Context of the Gaza Conflict
The violence comes after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and led to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The conflict has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2 million residents, many living in makeshift tents or damaged buildings under Hamas control. The UN has condemned Israel’s targeting of police personnel, citing a June 3 statement that documented at least a dozen attacks on law enforcement in 2026.
Ofer Guterman, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, argued that Israel views parts of Hamas’ policing apparatus as closely integrated with its military infrastructure,
justifying attacks on police stations. However, the UN Human Rights Office has criticized these strikes, stating they raise concerns that Israeli forces apply no distinction between police personnel and fighters belonging to armed groups in Gaza.
As the death toll continues to rise, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. With the ceasefire effectively shattered, the international community faces mounting pressure to intervene. No place in all of Gaza is safe,
said Khattab, echoing the despair of a population trapped in a conflict with no end in sight.
Al Jazeera reported the funeral strike. Reuters detailed the surge in attacks, and AP News covered the police station strike.
