Ten Killed in Gaza as Israeli Strikes Hit Amid Hamas-Militia Clashes

Published: April 7, 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online — Global perspectives on conflict and human rights.

The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced one of its most severe tests this week as at least ten people were killed during a chaotic sequence of Israeli airstrikes and localized ground fighting. According to medical sources and local witnesses, the violence erupted on Monday near a school housing displaced families in the central Gaza Strip. The incident marks a grim escalation in a territory already struggling to maintain a US-backed truce that has been in place since October. Reports from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed the death toll, noting that dozens more were injured, with several remaining in critical condition.

Eyewitness accounts suggest the violence began not with an airstrike, but with a rare and bitter confrontation between rival Palestinian factions. Witnesses reported that gunmen belonging to an anti-Hamas militia, which local sources allege is supported by Israeli forces, entered the area east of the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. The militia reportedly attempted to detain several individuals sheltering within the school, sparking an immediate and armed response from local residents and Hamas fighters. This internal skirmish turned the humanitarian site into a battlefield, as both sides exchanged heavy fire in the densely populated neighborhood.

As the ground clashes intensified, the Israeli military intervened from the air. Local residents described a terrifying scene as Israeli drones fired at least two missiles into the vicinity of the school while the firefight was still ongoing. The strikes caused immediate devastation among the crowds of displaced people who had gathered outside the school gates, seeking safety from the initial ground fighting. While the Israeli military stated it was looking into the reports, they have previously maintained that their operations target specific militant threats that pose a risk to the existing ceasefire arrangements.

The political fallout from the incident has been immediate. A leader from one of the Israeli-backed militias later released a video claiming that their forces had successfully “neutralized” five Hamas members during the raid. Hamas officials, who still exercise authority over much of the coastal strip, have denounced these groups as “collaborators” and “proxies” of the occupation. This internal friction highlights a burgeoning and dangerous new phase of the conflict, where local militias—bolstered by external support—are increasingly challenging Hamas’s long-standing grip on security within the enclave.

This latest surge in violence occurs against the backdrop of a staggering human cost. Since the ceasefire began last year, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in various flare-ups, according to data from Gaza’s health ministry. The international community continues to watch with growing alarm as the truce, designed to facilitate a permanent peace plan, appears to be unraveling under the weight of targeted assassinations, militia raids, and retaliatory strikes. For the thousands of displaced families in central Gaza, the promise of a peaceful return to normalcy remains overshadowed by the persistent sound of drones and the growing threat of civil strife.

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