BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian health officials and witnesses say at least five people were killed and others were wounded by Israeli fire

Israel’s critics, including former allies and legal scholars, say the scale of destruction, the targeting of vital infrastructure, and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid violate international law.

The Israeli military said in a statement that troops had opened fire in southern Gaza but said that it had directed warning shots at a group that was moving towards soldiers and deemed a threat to them.

The IDF killed Kataib al-Mujahideen’s military wing commander, Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail, also known as Abu al-Mu'tasim, and a senior leader of the group, As'ad Abu Sharaiya, the head of the terrorist organization, in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Saturday.

Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted to Gaza during the 2023 Hamas-led attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.

The body of a Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta, who was abducted alive during the October 7 attacks was recovered from southern Gaza in a military operation on Friday, according to a statement from the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security service.