An Israeli airstrike killed 12 members of a family, including seven children, in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense relief agency. The bombing, which took place in Jabalia, brought victims out of the rubble of the Khallah family home.
“All the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest being six years old,” Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told AFP. He added that the airstrike also injured 15 others.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying it targeted “several terrorists who operated in a military structure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization and posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the area.”
“According to an initial review, the number of casualties reported following the strike does not correspond to information held by the IDF,” added an army spokesperson.
The attack comes as Pope Francis condemns the bombing of children in Gaza, calling it “cruelty.” “Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not a war,” he said. “I want to say it because it touches my heart.”
Israel’s assault on Gaza continues as the conflict enters its 14th month. A drone missile hit a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Friday, killing at least eight people, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. In Beit Hanoon, four people, including two girls and their parents, were killed in an airstrike. Meanwhile, the bodies of three brothers were found in the rubble of a house near Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Gaza now a ‘graveyard’, UNRWA warns
Gaza has become a “graveyard,” with worsening conditions including hunger, heavy rains and ongoing attacks, warned Louise Wateridge, senior emergency officer at the United Nations Emergency Response Agency. Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). She added that “more than two million people are stuck” in the region, struggling in makeshift shelters, with most buildings damaged or destroyed.
“It is impossible for families to shelter in these conditions,” Wateridge said, speaking from Nuseirat camp. “Most people live under fabric, they don’t even have waterproof structures and 69 percent of the buildings here have been damaged or destroyed.”
UNRWA, which helps nearly six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and beyond, is struggling with a lack of resources, with Israeli law prohibiting the agency from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. The move prompted Sweden to announce it would stop funding UNRWA but double its aid to Gaza through other groups. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called the decision “disappointing” given the dire situation in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations regarding humanitarian assistance in the Palestinian territories. This follows previous ICJ rulings urging Israel to end its Rafah offensive and allow safe passage of humanitarian aid, which Israel has failed to comply with.
The current crisis continues to strain international efforts to provide assistance to those affected by violence.
