The attacks began on Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday, targeting residential neighborhoods, a funeral gathering and a truck transporting food supplies in the strategically important city in North Kordofan state, according to the Emergency Lawyers group.

The organization, which has documented alleged abuses during the conflict, blamed the strikes on the RSF. The claims could not be independently verified, and the paramilitary force did not immediately comment on the allegations.

Residents described extensive destruction across parts of the city, with homes damaged or destroyed and casualties transported to local hospitals.

One witness in the Al-Matar district in eastern El-Obeid said several houses collapsed after being hit, trapping residents beneath the rubble. Another resident told AFP that a relative was among those killed and that he had seen multiple bodies brought to a nearby medical facility.

A medical source said two children and a woman believed to be their mother were among the dead.

El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, has been partially surrounded by RSF forces for months and remains a key strategic center linking western and eastern Sudan. Control of the wider Kordofan region is viewed as critical because it connects RSF-held territories in Darfur with areas controlled by the Sudanese army.

Drone warfare has become an increasingly significant feature of Sudan’s conflict since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the military and the RSF. The use of unmanned aerial attacks has expanded as both sides seek to strike targets beyond front-line positions.

According to United Nations figures, at least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes across Sudan between January and April this year.

Military operations have intensified in Kordofan and neighboring Blue Nile state in recent months, particularly following the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher in October 2025, ending the army’s hold on its last major stronghold in western Darfur.

The broader conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million and triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.

The deadliest incident occurred in Gaza City, where a drone strike hit the Jawazat camp for displaced Palestinians, killing eight people and wounding 15 others, according to the civil defense authority, which operates under the Hamas administration.

Al-Shifa Hospital said it received the bodies of eight victims from the strike. The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out an operation in the area, stating that it had targeted militants but providing no further details.

In southern Gaza, a separate strike killed 25-year-old Muhannad Othman Farwana in Khan Younis, according to civil defense officials and medical personnel at Nasser Hospital, who said several wounded people were also brought to the facility.

The Israeli military identified Farwana as a commander of a Hamas military cell and said he was killed in a precision strike. Hamas did not immediately comment on the allegation.

Relatives said the strike hit a tent erected on the roof of Farwana’s family home shortly before his scheduled wedding ceremony. Family members had been preparing for the celebration when the attack occurred, according to his cousin, Mohammed Farwana.

Later on Saturday, civil defense officials reported another fatal strike in southeastern Gaza City that killed a 37-year-old man.

The latest violence comes despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 following more than two years of war triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Although large-scale hostilities have diminished, both Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of almost daily violations of the truce agreement.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose casualty figures are regularly cited by United Nations agencies, at least 951 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The Israeli military has reported five fatalities among its personnel during the same period.

Independent verification of casualty figures and battlefield claims remains difficult because of restrictions on media access and movement within Gaza. International news organizations, including AFP, have said they are unable to independently verify many reports from the territory.

The continued exchange of strikes and accusations has raised concerns about the durability of the ceasefire, even as international mediators seek to prevent a return to full-scale conflict in the enclave.

The Israeli military said warning sirens were activated following the suspected aerial incursion but provided no immediate details on the origin of the aircraft or whether it had been intercepted.

The alert came hours after Lebanon announced a limited ceasefire arrangement aimed at reducing hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

According to Lebanon’s embassy in Washington, the agreement calls for Israel to halt strikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut while Hezbollah suspends attacks on Israeli territory. The arrangement does not constitute a full ceasefire and does not end the broader conflict.

The latest security alert underscores continued tensions along the Israel-Lebanon front despite diplomatic efforts to contain the fighting, which has intensified alongside wider regional instability linked to the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

In a statement issued in Geneva, the UN human rights office said its Sudan monitoring team had determined that drone attacks accounted for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded during the first four months of 2026.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the rapid expansion of drone warfare had transformed the nature of the conflict.“Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths,” Turk said.

The warning underscores escalating concerns among humanitarian agencies and international observers over the intensifying use of unmanned aerial systems in Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has devastated large parts of the country, displaced millions of civilians and triggered what aid organizations describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.The UN did not specify which parties were responsible for the drone strikes cited in its report, but rights monitors have repeatedly warned that the growing availability of armed drone technology has widened the scale and reach of attacks on populated areas.

Human rights officials cautioned that the increasing reliance on drones risked accelerating civilian casualties while further complicating efforts to secure ceasefires or humanitarian access.

Sudan’s capital Khartoum and several regions including Darfur have witnessed heavy fighting, air strikes and widespread destruction since the war began, with repeated allegations of violations of international humanitarian law by both sides.

International mediation efforts led by regional powers, the African Union and the United Nations have so far failed to produce a durable ceasefire.

The Lebanon Civil Defense said in a statement that one of its rescuers was killed after an Israeli strike targeted him on a road connecting two towns in southern Lebanon.The organization said the attack occurred despite a truce that remains formally in effect between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

The incident came one day after another strike killed a rescuer affiliated with the Islamic Health Committee, according to Lebanese authorities.Israel has continued carrying out strikes across parts of Lebanon following weeks of conflict that began on March 2, saying its operations target Hezbollah fighters and military infrastructure.

On May 6, Israeli forces struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in nearly a month, killing what Israel described as a senior Hezbollah commander from the group’s elite Radwan force.The continuing attacks have intensified concerns among humanitarian agencies over the safety of medical and rescue personnel operating in conflict zones.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week that the World Health Organization had verified 152 attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel in Lebanon since the conflict began.According to Tedros, those attacks resulted in 103 deaths and 241 injuries.International humanitarian law provides special protections for medical workers, emergency responders and healthcare infrastructure during armed conflicts.

Rights organizations have repeatedly called for investigations into attacks involving rescue and medical personnel in Lebanon and Gaza.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation said Ukrainian forces continued attacks using drones and artillery despite the temporary truce announced by Russia.

“Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, Ukrainian armed groups continued to launch attacks using drones and artillery against the positions of our troops, as well as against civilian targets in the border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk regions,” the ministry said.

“Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, Ukrainian armed groups continued to launch attacks using drones and artillery against the positions of our troops, as well as against civilian targets in the border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk regions,” the ministry said.

The ministry said Russian forces responded “in kind” to the alleged violations, carrying out strikes against artillery systems, mortar positions, command centers and drone launch sites operated by Ukrainian forces.

The ceasefire had been announced by Moscow to coincide with ceremonies commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, one of Russia’s most symbolically important national observances.The statement did not specify the scale of the reported attacks or provide casualty figures.

Border regions including Belgorod and Kursk have faced repeated drone strikes and shelling during the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kyiv has previously questioned the sincerity of temporary Russian ceasefire announcements, accusing Moscow of continuing military operations during declared pauses in fighting.

Neither side’s battlefield claims could be independently verified.

The remarks came after overnight attacks killed several people across Ukraine, despite both sides announcing unilateral pauses in hostilities on different dates. Moscow has proposed a ceasefire around its May 9 Victory Day celebrations, while Kyiv said it would halt fire on May 6.

“It is utter cynicism to ask for a ceasefire in order to hold propaganda celebrations while carrying out such missile and drone strikes every single day,” Zelensky said in a statement, adding that Russia could end the war at any time by stopping its attacks.In the central Poltava region, a Russian strike killed four people, including employees of state energy firm Naftogaz and emergency responders, Ukrainian officials said.

Authorities described the incident as a “double-tap” strike, in which a second attack targets rescuers responding to an initial hit.In the northeastern Kharkiv region, one person was killed as Russia launched a broader wave of attacks involving ballistic missiles and drones, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Russia’s defense ministry said it had intercepted more than 300 Ukrainian drones over the same period, reflecting intensifying aerial exchanges between the two sides.The Kremlin has scaled back its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow amid concerns about potential Ukrainian strikes, with no military hardware expected to be displayed this year.

Despite periodic ceasefire announcements, there is no indication of progress toward a broader settlement. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region and abandon Western military support, conditions Kyiv has rejected.

The conflict, now in its fourth year, remains the deadliest in Europe since World War Two, with both sides continuing long-range strikes far beyond front-line positions.

The agency said the strike targeted a group of civilians near Al-Qassam mosque in Beit Lahia, with the victims transported to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Hospital officials confirmed receiving the bodies but did not provide additional details.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the reports and did not immediately comment further.The incident comes amid ongoing tensions between Israel Defense Forces and Hamas, with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire that took effect on October 10.

The truce largely halted the war that began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 786 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The ministry operates under Hamas authority, though its casualty figures are widely cited by international organizations including the United Nations.

The Israeli military has reported that five of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza during the same period.Independent verification of casualty figures remains difficult due to restrictions on media access to the territory and ongoing security conditions.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which monitors shipping security in the region, said the cargo vessel reported being fired upon and subsequently halted in the water.

No injuries or environmental damage were reported, and the ship sustained no apparent damage.The UKMTO did not identify who carried out the second attack. However, the incident followed an earlier episode in which Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was reported to have opened fire on a container ship, prompting immediate suspicion toward Tehran.

The incidents come amid heightened tensions in the Gulf, days after U.S. forces seized an Iranian container vessel following an exchange of fire and boarded an oil tanker linked to Iran’s oil trade in the Indian Ocean.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global transit route for energy supplies, and any disruption to shipping there is closely monitored by governments and markets worldwide.

Iranian authorities did not immediately comment on the reported attacks.

Defence Minister said ground operations and air strikes had achieved “many gains” but had not fully neutralised Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon. He added that areas between Israel’s declared security zone and the remained uncleared of militants and weapons.
Katz said the remaining objectives could be achieved either through diplomatic channels or renewed military action once the ceasefire expires. Under the terms of the truce, Israel retains the right to act against what it describes as imminent or ongoing threats from Hezbollah.

As the ceasefire came into force at midnight, displaced civilians in southern Lebanon began returning to their homes after weeks of conflict. However, Katz warned that a resumption of fighting would likely force another evacuation of those areas.

Israel has maintained a military presence in parts of southern Lebanon and established a security buffer zone along the border, which it says has been cleared of militant infrastructure and residents. The defence minister said operations would continue to target remaining positions, including structures Israel alleges were used for militant activity.

According to details released by the United States, the ceasefire framework also places responsibility on Lebanon, with international backing, to prevent Hezbollah from launching attacks against Israeli targets.

The developments highlight the fragility of the ceasefire and ongoing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon frontier, where both sides remain on alert despite a temporary halt in fighting.