Gaza: 18 Killed, Including 3 Children, in Israeli Airstrikes

Eighteen people, including three children, were killed in Israeli military strikes across Gaza City and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. The Israeli Defense Forces stated the strikes followed incoming fire targeting its troops, which seriously wounded an officer. Meanwhile, Israel suspended patient crossings at the Rafah border crossing into Egypt—just two days after its reopening—leaving dozens of critically ill patients stranded at Khan Younis Hospital. A Palestinian patient told Reuters that staff informed them the crossing was closed with no exceptions. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claimed Rafah remains open but cited lack of required coordination data from the World Health Organization (WHO) to facilitate medical evacuations. The WHO has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for comment. Rafah’s reopening forms part of the first phase of the October 2025 Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, based on a plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, 16 Gaza patients and 40 accompanying persons crossed into Egypt; Hamas police sources reported at least 40 others entered Gaza via Rafah the same day. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, at least 530 people—mostly civilians—have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire, according to local health officials. In the same period, Palestinian fighters killed four Israeli soldiers, per Israeli authorities.