Gaza City – Palestinian mourners have gathered for the funeral of three Palestinian children who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday.
Eight-year-old Jihad Issam Shuhaibar, his brother Wasim Issam Shuhaibar, seven, and their cousin, Afnan Tariq Shuhaibar, aged 10, were killed after a five-hour humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas expired. Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza later on Thursday.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to destroy tunnels linking Gaza to Israel. The prime minister’s office also said that the Israeli military was “prepared for an expansion of the ground action”.
More than 230 Palestinians, including 39 children, have been killed in Israel’s 10-day military operation in Gaza, and another 1,700 Palestinians have been injured. One Israeli has died.
The United Nations has reported that about 25,000 Palestinian children in Gaza are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and are in need of psychological help as a result of the ongoing Israeli military offensive.