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The civil defence agency in Gaza said an Israeli strike Sunday hit tents at a declared safe zone in the Palestinian enclave's south, killing at least five people.

A witness told AFP a newborn was among the dead in Al-Mawasi near Khan Younis city, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the war, now nearing its 11th month.

Since Monday, Israeli forces have operated in and around Khan Younis including in parts of the coastal area of Al-Mawasi.

"Today, the Israeli occupation targeted… the tents of displaced people on Al-Istable street in Al-Mawasi," Muhammad Al-Mughayyir of the Gaza civil defence agency told AFP.

"Five martyrs and seven wounded have been transferred to Nasser hospital" in Khan Younis, he said.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.

Miriam Al-Astal who lives in Al-Mawasi said a newborn baby was killed.

"We were sitting in the tents… when suddenly we heard an explosion," she told AFP.

"I swear" there was no militant activity in the area, she said.

Israel had warned on Monday its forces would "forcefully operate" in the Khan Younis area – from which troops withdrew in April – and on Saturday the civil defence agency said that 170 people have been killed by the renewed fighting and military operations.

The military claimed its latest operations there were to prevent rocket fire.

On Wednesday it also announced troops had retrieved the bodies of five Israelis seized by militants during a Hamas-led 7 October attack and held in Gaza.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 39,324 people, according to the Palestinian enclave's health ministry.

The 7 October attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

There were also 251 captives taken during the attack, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.