GAZA, Palestine

An Israeli airstrike targeting a refugee camp market in central Gaza has resulted in fatalities and injuries, the Interior Ministry in the besieged enclave announced on Saturday.

"There are fatalities and a significant number of injuries in the Israeli army's targeting of the Nusseirat Market in the central Gaza Strip," the ministry said on Telegram, without reporting the exact number of casualties.

Related reports from various local media outlets, including the Al-Aqsa radio station, noted that the Israeli strike targeted a store called Akel, causing it and nearby shops to catch fire in the marketplace, which is located in the Nusseirat refugee camp.

The situation was compounded as ambulances faced challenges reaching the market in the wake of the Israeli airstrike.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Officials have said that more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed in the conflict. Earlier on Saturday, a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks began to enter the GazaStrip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, the first since the armed conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.