A 14-year-old Palestinian was killed in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday when a terrorist rocket launched toward Israel fell short inside the coastal enclave, according to initial reports in Arab media.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the attempted aerial assault, saying in a brief statement that “a rocket launch was identified from Gaza.”
“The rocket fell inside Gaza. The IDF is committed to fully implementing the conditions of the agreement for the return of the hostages,” it added.
Unconfirmed video footage posted to social media showed a projectile falling inside a densely populated area shortly after being launched.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-affiliated Shehab News Agency claimed that the victim, identified as Salem Alaa Saud, was “martyred as a result of the explosion of an explosive device” left behind by the Israeli military.
On Oct. 17, 2023, an estimated 10 to 50 Palestinians were killed when a faulty rocket fired by Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad fell short and struck the area surrounding Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
Authorities from the Gaza Health Ministry, which Hamas controls, claimed that the blast killed 471 Palestinians. The terrorist group immediately blamed the Jewish state, accusing the IDF of deliberately striking the medical center.