Fireball in central Gaza as Israeli strike kills child

A terrifying fireball erupted over central <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/gaza/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/gaza/">Gaza</a> on Sunday as <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/israel/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/israel/">Israel</a> bombed a warehouse in an attack that Palestinian officials said had left a child dead. Six others were reported injured, some of them seriously, in the attack on Al Zawaida. In a second strike, Israeli forces bombed a shelter near the north-south Salah Al Din Road in central Gaza, official Palestinian media said. Photos showed a column of smoke over central Gaza in the aftermath of Israel's attacks. Palestinian medics said the child had died of injuries sustained in the strike on the warehouse. The Israeli army gave no immediate explanation for the attacks. It typically says its strikes in Gaza are aimed at <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/hamas/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/hamas/">Hamas</a> fighters or people posing a threat to Israeli forces. The attacks are the latest to pierce the 2025 ceasefire in Gaza that curtailed <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/09/16/explained-the-four-acts-of-genocide-israel-is-accused-of-committing-in-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/09/16/explained-the-four-acts-of-genocide-israel-is-accused-of-committing-in-gaza/">Israel's onslaught on the Palestinian territory</a>. With the peace process stalling, the US this month sought to inject some momentum by sending President Donald Trump's son-in-law <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/17/kushner-meets-netanyahu-to-break-gaza-board-of-peace-deadlock/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/17/kushner-meets-netanyahu-to-break-gaza-board-of-peace-deadlock/">Jared Kushner</a> to hold talks with Hamas and Israeli leaders. Israel agreed with Mr Kushner to form new working groups on Gaza's disarmament and humanitarian needs, but there was no major breakthrough on the peace process. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/09/netanyahu-rejects-gaza-withdrawal-plan-until-hamas-fully-disarmed/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/09/netanyahu-rejects-gaza-withdrawal-plan-until-hamas-fully-disarmed/">a US-backed plan for a phased withdrawal from Gaza</a>. In a spate of new attacks last week, Israel <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/18/child-among-six-dead-as-israel-bombs-seaside-cafe-in-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/18/child-among-six-dead-as-israel-bombs-seaside-cafe-in-gaza/">bombed a seaside cafe in Gaza city</a>, leaving six people dead, and killed nine more people in an attack on police personnel the next day. The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/uae" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/uae">UAE</a> joined seven other Arab and Islamic nations in condemning Israel for rejecting renewed peace efforts. Five convoys carrying 800 tonnes of aid sent from the UAE entered Gaza this week. The aid, which included food, medicine and materials for shelter, was sent on 75 lorries as part of the Emirates' Operation Gallant Knight 3 campaign. The supplies were sent to meet the "essential needs and strengthen the humanitarian response inside the Gaza Strip", state news agency Wam reported on Sunday.