An Israeli air strike on 30 June hit the Al-Baqa cafe on Gaza City’s seafront, killing at least 24 people according to a Guardian investigation and as many as 41 by the Gaza health ministry’s count. The crowded two-storey venue, one of the enclave’s few remaining internet hotspots used by locals and journalists, was demolished by a 230-kg (500-pound) US-made MK-82 general-purpose bomb. Palestinian photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab and visual artist Frans al-Salmi were among the dead, bringing the number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 227, the territory’s media office said. Fragments collected at the site and analysed for the Guardian confirmed the munition type. International-law scholars cited by the newspaper said deploying a high-explosive device of that size in a densely populated civilian area is “almost certainly illegal” under the Geneva Conventions and could constitute a war crime. The Israel Defense Forces said the strike neutralised several Hamas militants and that it had taken steps to minimise civilian casualties, but added that the incident is under review. The attack came amid intensified operations across the territory; Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli raids on 3 July alone killed more than 80 people, including strikes on aid queues and a school sheltering displaced residents.