Israel kills four in Gaza as Rafah reopens

MINIBUSES carrying Palestinians to the Gaza Strip, line up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.—AFP

• Tel Aviv bombs Tuffah and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, local officials say • Some wounded Palestinians cross Gaza-Egypt border amid fresh truce push GAZA CITY: Israeli airstrikes killed four people in Gaza City on Thursday, Palestinian officials said, as the Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened for a limited number of people after being closed for nearly three weeks. The Palestinian civil defence agency said strikes in two neighbourhoods of Gaza City killed a total of four people. At Al-Ahli Hospital, two bodies were received following an Israeli strike in the Tuffah neighbourhood, while Al-Shifa Hos­pital also recei­ved two bodies from a drone strike in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, according to Pales­tinian officials. The Israeli military, asked about the incidents, said it was looking into the reports. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said it had struck and killed Muhammad Abu Shaleh, whom it identified as the military intelligence commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade. Violence has persisted in the war-shattered Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire that came into effect on Oct 1. Gaza’s health ministry says at least 677 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the truce. On Sunday, Gaza’s interior ministry said an Israeli airstrike on a police vehicle killed nine officers. Rafah reopens Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing reopened to allow some wounded Palestinians to leave for treatment in Egypt. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said only eight injured Palestinians and 17 of their family members would be allowed to cross on Thursday. It was unclear how many would be let through from Egypt back into Gaza. The crossing had reopened in ea­rly February after being largely shut since May 2024, during the ea­rly months of Israel’s war against Hamas. Sources told Reuters that the border opening resulted from recent talks between envoys from what was described as “President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’and Hamas officials in Cairo. The talks were reportedly an effort to safeguard the Gaza ceasefire, which has been und­er serious strain since the US and Israel started bombing Iran at the end of February. The report also noted that AFP was unable to independently verify cas­ualty figures or freely cover the fig­h­ting due to media restrictions and limited access in Gaza. Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2026