'Israeli' airstrike in Gaza market kills eight during funeral procession

• Gaza's civil defence agency said the strike killed eight people and injured 22 during a funeral procession.
• Violence continues despite the existing ceasefire and ongoing diplomatic efforts.

An 'Israeli' airstrike struck a crowded civilian area near a market in central Gaza on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding 22 others.

The attack took place amid an active truce that has repeatedly failed to halt the violence across the enclave.

According to reports from local medical facilities and emergency responders, the deadly strike directly hit mourners who had gathered for a funeral procession.

Strike disrupts funeral procession

Emergency responders confirmed that the bombardment took place in the busy Al-Balata market area, located inside the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza's civil defence agency -which operates as a rescue service- stated that the strike directly impacted a civilian funeral procession.

Officials from the local Al-Awda hospital confirmed that their facility received eight bodies and treated 22 individuals who sustained varying degrees of injuries from the blast.

The 'Israeli' military confirmed that its forces carried out the attack.

The strike underscores the fragility of the regional security situation; while a broader ceasefire between 'Israel' and the Palestinian group Hamas remains technically active, efforts to broker a lasting diplomatic agreement to end the war have entirely stalled.

Gaza's civil defence agency and local hospitals noted that an additional five people were killed in separate 'Israeli' bombardments across Gaza on Friday.

Among those earlier casualties were two women and the deceased man whose subsequent funeral procession was hit during the market strike.

Prior to Friday's deadly operations, the Gaza health ministry reported that at least 1,127 Palestinians had been killed since the current truce initially took effect last October.

The United Nations continues to maintain that the ministry's statistical casualty figures are historically reliable.

Independent media validation of the exact death tolls or field conditions remains restricted, as strict 'Israeli' restrictions imposed on media outlets and limited access in Gaza prevent AFP from independently verifying tolls or freely covering the violence there.