New Israeli Strikes in Central Gaza Kill at Least 21, Including 5 Children

A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of the destroyed Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 06 October 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of the destroyed Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 06 October 2024. (EPA)
TT

New Israeli Strikes in Central Gaza Kill at Least 21, Including 5 Children

A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of the destroyed Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 06 October 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of the destroyed Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 06 October 2024. (EPA)

At least 21 people, including five children and two women, were killed in strikes in central Gaza on Monday night, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, where the bodies were taken.

The strikes took place on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that triggered the war between Israel and Hamas.

Two strikes hit houses in the Bureij refugee camp. An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies along with about a dozen wounded, including several children.

Emergency responders said more people are thought to be under the rubble.

The Palestinian death toll in the war in Gaza is nearing 42,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and fighters.



Syria's New Rulers Name Foreign Minister

Syrians wave the independence-era flag after Friday Noon prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in the capital Damascus on December 20, 2024. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Syrians wave the independence-era flag after Friday Noon prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in the capital Damascus on December 20, 2024. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
TT

Syria's New Rulers Name Foreign Minister

Syrians wave the independence-era flag after Friday Noon prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in the capital Damascus on December 20, 2024. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Syrians wave the independence-era flag after Friday Noon prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in the capital Damascus on December 20, 2024. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Syria's new rulers have appointed a foreign minister, the official Syrian news agency (SANA) said on Saturday, as they seek to build international relations two weeks after Bashar al-Assad was ousted.
The ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step "comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
No details were immediately available about Shibani.
Syria's de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since assuming power, including hosting the UN's Syria envoy and senior US diplomats.
Sharaa has signaled a willingness to engage diplomatically with international envoys, saying his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development. He has said he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see groups led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) topple Assad.