GAZA, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli drone targeted a group of Palestinians near the Abd al-Rahman School in the al-Safatawi area, north of Gaza City, with a missile. Medical sources told Xinhua that one Palestinian was killed and several others were wounded.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the airstrike.
Gaza-based health authorities reported in the latest update that the death toll since the ceasefire came into effect in October 2025 has reached 1,505, with 5,332 wounded, bringing the total since October 7, 2023, to 74,396 dead and 175,449 wounded.
In a separate statement, the health authorities said that Israeli authorities continue to close the Rafah border crossing for the second week in a row, preventing the evacuation of patients and the wounded for treatment abroad.
The health authorities warned of the repercussions of the closure, which has led to "a dangerous and rapidly increasing backlog of critical cases" and called on relevant parties to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to open the Rafah crossing and all other crossings.
According to Palestinian medical sources, 21,000 patients in Gaza are in need of medical evacuation.
Also on Thursday, the Hamas-run Government Media Office denied Israeli claims that Hamas was imposing fees on commercial trucks entering the Gaza Strip, calling on mediators to pressure Israel to allow 600 trucks to enter the enclave daily.
Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said Wednesday that Hamas operatives were allegedly attempting to impose a levy of about 10,000 shekels (about 3,100 U.S. dollars) on each truck entering the enclave. ■
