GAZA CITY, Palestine

A newlywed Palestinian couple was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a shelter camp in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to an Anadolu reporter on Monday.

Abdullah Abu Nahel and his bride tied the knot on Friday, but lost their lives two days later after an Israeli fighter jet struck a camp housing displaced Palestinians in Khirbat al-Adas northeast of Rafah, the reporter said.

Six other Palestinians were killed and three injured in the same strike.

The attack came amid Israeli preparations for a ground attack in Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million residents seeking refuge from war.

Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah as Israel pounded the rest of the enclave since Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 29,092 victims and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Ankara