Israeli Strikes Kill at Least Five in Gaza on Saturday

By GlobalDeskNews Staff | October 10, 2026

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least five Palestinians on Saturday, health officials and medics told Reuters, in a day of bloodshed that also saw the Israeli military carry out raids across southern Lebanon. Medics said one strike killed four people near Panda Mall in Gaza City, while a second strike killed one person in the Tuffah neighbourhood further south of the city. The Israeli military said the two strikes targeted militants, without giving further information.

FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises over the Gaza skyline in January 2009. This is an archive image, not a photo of Saturday's strikes. (Photo: Al Jazeera English / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 — source)

Israeli strikes in Gaza: what happened on Saturday

The Panda Mall Gaza City strike accounted for four of the five deaths, according to medics cited by Reuters — four people killed near the mall in Gaza City. A second, separate strike killed one more person in Tuffah, a neighbourhood further south of the city. Beyond those details, little is confirmed about the exact timing of the two attacks or the identities of the dead. The Israeli military's response was brief: the strikes "targeted militants," it said, and it offered nothing more.

Saturday's strikes are a different incident from an apartment strike reported in Gaza earlier this month, and should not be confused with it. The Reuters reporting, updated roughly two hours before 19:00 Pakistan time, treated the two Saturday attacks as separate events — one near Panda Mall, one in Tuffah — each with its own death toll confirmed by medics on the ground.

FILE PHOTO: The Gaza Strip, photographed in January 2011. This is an archive image, not a photo of Saturday's strikes. (Photo: Mujaddara / Panoramio, CC BY-SA 3.0 — source)

Israel and Hamas trade blame over the Gaza ceasefire anniversary October 2026

Saturday's deaths land on a loaded date: the first anniversary of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreed last October. That truce, both sides now say, is coming apart — and each blames the other.

Israel has stepped up its strikes against Hamas in recent weeks. Its argument: the group has been rearming and carrying out attacks in violation of the ceasefire. Hamas denies this outright and accuses Israel of undermining the US-brokered deal. So Saturday's strikes don't arrive out of nowhere; they fit a pattern of escalating violence that each side frames as self-defence and the other as a breach of the agreement.

The Gaza health ministry Saturday death toll: how the counts differ

One reason Saturday's story needs careful reading is that the casualty figures don't all match. That's normal in the first hours after strikes — but it matters here because the death toll is part of the dispute over the ceasefire itself.

Hospital sources in Gaza told Al Jazeera's colleagues on the ground that at least eight Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces in several areas of the Strip since dawn, in a 12:15 GMT update to the network's liveblog. An earlier 10:30 GMT update put the figure at at least six, including an eight-year-old girl — with one of the victims having died of previously sustained injuries. Haaretz, in a separately verified report, put the Saturday figure at at least nine killed in two attacks — a third tally worth noting, though its full page sits behind a paywall. Gaza health officials have not confirmed a single consolidated figure for Saturday, and all three numbers could shift as hospitals update.

What is firmer is the longer view from the Gaza health ministry's Saturday daily update. It reported ten people killed over the past 48-hour reporting period — including one person who succumbed to previously sustained injuries — with 65 wounded. The ministry's cumulative figures: at least 74,370 killed and 175,371 wounded since the war began. And since the October 2025 ceasefire, the ministry says, at least 1,481 Palestinians have been killed, 5,254 wounded, and 836 bodies have been recovered from the rubble. Reuters separately cited Gaza health officials as saying at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce was agreed last October, while Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.

FILE PHOTO: Bombed buildings on Al Thawra Street in the Gaza Strip. This is an archive image, not a photo of Saturday's strikes. (Photo: Hla.bashbash, CC BY 4.0 — source)

Israeli army raids southern Lebanon today

The violence on Saturday wasn't confined to Gaza. Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that the Israeli military carried out several raids across southern Lebanon. The Jarmaq area was hit by air strikes and shelling, while al-Mansouri and Wadi Zibqin came under intermittent artillery fire. The agency reported no immediate casualties or damage from the raids — and so far there are no independent confirmations beyond the Lebanese agency's account.

Two years of war, one year of truce

The context stretches back two years. Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 taken hostage. The subsequent Israeli operations in Gaza have killed more than 74,000 people, according to Gaza health officials. A US-brokered ceasefire agreed last October was meant to stop that. A year later, Israel says Hamas is rearming and attacking in violation of it; Hamas says Israel is undermining it. Saturday's strikes are the latest data point in a truce that both sides describe very differently — and that Gaza's health ministry says has now cost more than 1,480 Palestinian lives since it took effect.

Why it matters

The anniversary timing is what makes Saturday's strikes more than another daily toll. A ceasefire's first birthday should be a milestone; instead, both sides are using its fraying as justification for more violence. For civilians in Gaza, the practical meaning of the truce is thin — the health ministry's figures show hundreds killed even during the supposed quiet period. And the parallel raids in southern Lebanon are a reminder that the Gaza war's geography doesn't stay put. If the ceasefire can't hold on its own anniversary, the question of what replaces it becomes urgent.

FILE PHOTO: Palestinians carry out a search and rescue operation around the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir el-Balah. This is an archive image, not a photo of Saturday's strikes. (Photo: Ashraf Amra, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO — source)

What happens next

Three things to watch. First, whether Gaza's health ministry confirms a single Saturday toll — the gap between five, eight and nine killed will narrow as hospitals report. Second, whether the Israeli military says more than "targeted militants" about the Panda Mall and Tuffah strikes; so far it has given no details about the targets. Third, whether Saturday's violence — and the anniversary it fell on — produces any response from the ceasefire's brokers, or whether the truce simply keeps fraying in public. Also worth watching: any follow-up from southern Lebanon after the NNA-reported raids, where the casualty picture could change.

Key Takeaways

• Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza City on Saturday — four near Panda Mall, one in the Tuffah neighbourhood, according to medics cited by Reuters.
• The Israeli military said the two strikes targeted militants and gave no further information about the targets or circumstances.
• Other tallies differ: Al Jazeera's hospital sources reported at least eight killed since dawn, while Haaretz reported at least nine — counts may shift as hospitals update.
• The deaths fall on the first anniversary of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire; Israel says Hamas is rearming in violation of it, while Hamas accuses Israel of undermining the deal.
• Gaza's health ministry reports at least 74,370 killed since the war began, including at least 1,481 since the October 2025 ceasefire.
• The Israeli military also carried out raids across southern Lebanon on Saturday — air strikes and shelling in Jarmaq, artillery fire near al-Mansouri and Wadi Zibqin — with no casualties reported.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people were killed in Saturday's Gaza strikes?

Reuters, citing medics, reported at least five Palestinians killed — four near Panda Mall and one in Tuffah. Hospital sources told Al Jazeera at least eight had been killed in several areas of the Strip since dawn, while Haaretz reported at least nine. The health ministry's 48-hour reporting tally is ten killed. Tallies may shift as hospitals update.

Where in Gaza City did the strikes hit?

One strike killed four people near Panda Mall in Gaza City, and a second killed one person in the Tuffah neighbourhood south of the city, according to medics cited by Reuters. The Israeli military said both strikes targeted militants but gave no further information. Saturday's strikes are a separate incident from an apartment strike reported in Gaza earlier this month.

What did the Israeli military say about the strikes?

The Israeli military said the two strikes targeted militants and offered no further information about the targets or the circumstances, according to Reuters. Israel has stepped up strikes against Hamas in recent weeks, saying the group has been rearming and carrying out attacks in violation of the ceasefire — a claim Hamas denies.

What is Hamas saying about the ceasefire?

Hamas denies Israel's claim that it has been rearming and carrying out attacks. The group accuses Israel of undermining the US-brokered ceasefire agreed a year ago. Saturday marks the first anniversary of that truce. Gaza health officials say at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect last October.

Did Israel also carry out raids in Lebanon on Saturday?

Yes. Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that the Israeli military carried out several raids across southern Lebanon on Saturday. The Jarmaq area was hit by air strikes and shelling, while al-Mansouri and Wadi Zibqin came under intermittent artillery fire. The agency reported no immediate casualties or damage from the raids.

What is the overall death toll in Gaza?

Gaza's health ministry says at least 74,370 people have been killed and 175,371 wounded since the war began. Since the October 2025 ceasefire, the ministry reports at least 1,481 Palestinians killed, 5,254 wounded, and 836 bodies recovered from rubble. The Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 taken hostage.

Sources

• Reuters, "Israeli strikes kill five people in Gaza, medics say," October 10, 2026 — reuters.com
• Al Jazeera, liveblog (includes 10:30 GMT and 12:15 GMT updates on Gaza casualties and Lebanon NNA raid reports), October 10, 2026 — aljazeera.com
• Haaretz, report on Saturday's Gaza strikes (search-result verified; full page behind paywall — used as third corroboration only), October 10, 2026