In brief
A recent Israeli air raid in the western al‑Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City has killed all six members of a single family, according to local medics. Video footage shows the family's apartment engulfed in flames overnight, while witnesses confirm that the house was targeted after a purported Hamas operative was allegedly located there. The Israeli armed forces say the strike was aimed at a Hamas militant, but the exact outcome remains under investigation. Since the ceasefire last October, over 1,000 Palestinians and a handful of Israeli soldiers have been killed amid escalating hostilities, prompting calls from the U.N. human rights office and others for an end to the violence.
A recent Israeli air raid in the western al‑Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City has killed all six members of a single family, according to local medics. Video footage shows the family’s apartment engulfed in flames overnight.
The brother of Firas al‑Masri told the BBC that he, his wife Salsabeel and their three daughters and son were burnt to death during the strike. The Israeli military says the target was a Hamas operative and that investigations into the attack’s outcome are ongoing.
Gaza’s Hamas‑run health ministry reports that at least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last October, while four Israeli soldiers have lost their lives in Palestinian attacks over the same period.
The U.N.’s human‑rights office has condemned the intensified Israeli attacks, noting that between 13 and 20 July alone, 57 Palestinians, including six children and eight women, were killed in strikes on residential buildings, a tent camp, and other crowded areas. According to spokesman Thameen Al‑Kheetan, the killings raise concerns of continuing violations of international humanitarian law and potential war‑crimes in Gaza.
Israel’s recent campaign in Gaza has targeted members of Palestinian armed groups involved in the Hamas‑led attack on Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 held hostage. More than 73,290 people have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli offensive, indicating the high death toll amid ongoing conflict.
