Residents of Maghazi camp in central Gaza said armed men linked to Israel-backed groups set fire on Thursday to land, homes, and agricultural greenhouses.
Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat the fires broke out in Hamas-controlled areas west of an informal “yellow line,” while Israeli forces were stationed to the east.
Several residents accused a group known as the Abu Nasira gang, led by a former security officer, of carrying out the attack.
Such groups have become a growing concern for Hamas and its security arms, as kidnapping and assassination attempts against members of the movement, its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and its security forces increase.
Days earlier, east of Maghazi camp, two Qassam members were lured in an attempted abduction that escalated into clashes with Israeli fire, killing 10 Palestinians.
One witness said armed men arrived shortly before noon in several four-wheel-drive vehicles, carrying weapons. They advanced dozens of meters west of the “yellow line,” near the Hosni al-Masdar mosque east of Maghazi camp, as Israeli drones flew overhead. Infantry vehicles later reinforced them amid intermittent gunfire.
The witness, who requested anonymity, said large fires broke out soon after. Residents and field sources confirmed the blazes destroyed farmland, greenhouses, and homes.
A member of a local armed faction said Abu Nasira fighters spread across the area and carried out the arson under Israeli cover, with intensified fire directed at western areas where residents and displaced people are located.
A Hamas source repeated accusations against the group, saying it is trying to assert its presence by escalating operations. The source described it as a “major threat,” carrying out kidnappings, assassinations and direct incursions under Israeli support that provides aerial cover and, at times, ground backing.
The attack coincided with Israeli escalation elsewhere in Gaza, killing a man and a child in separate incidents. An Israeli drone killed Youssef Mansour, 33, who witnesses said was bird hunting in the Mawasi area of Rafah in southern Gaza.
In northern Gaza, tank shells hit Abu Ubaida bin al-Jarrah school in Beit Lahia, killing a young girl, Retaj Rihan. She had been in a classroom tent with dozens of displaced third-grade students. She was taken in critical condition to a clinic in Jabalia al-Balad, where she died.
Gaza’s Ministry of Education condemned the attack, holding Israel responsible and saying hundreds of students have been killed during and after the war due to repeated targeting. It called for urgent international intervention.
Shortly after the school attack, Israeli fire from remotely operated cranes east of Gaza City wounded four Palestinians. The gunfire hit Ibn al-Haytham school on the western edge of Shuja’iyya, sheltering hundreds of displaced people. Others were wounded in similar fire toward Halawa camp in Jabalia al-Balad, with one reported in critical condition.
On Wednesday evening, two Palestinians were killed in separate strikes, including journalist Mohammed Washah, drawing condemnation over the killing of journalists. The strikes have killed 262 journalists since the start of the war.
The number of Palestinians killed since a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025 has risen to more than 740, according to available figures.
