Israeli air strike kills 7 children from one family, say Gaza rescuers
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Rescuers searching for casualties following an Israeli strike on the municipality building in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Dec 14.
PHOTO: AFP
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GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories – Gaza’s civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike killed 10 members of a family on Dec 20 in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.
Violence in the Gaza Strip continues to rock the coastal territory more than 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war, even as international mediators work to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants.
“There are 10 martyrs... all targeted by an air strike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, south-west of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six,” civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
Mr Bassal said the strike injured 15 others.
The Israeli military said it had struck “several terrorists who were operating in a military structure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation and posed a threat to IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops operating in the area”.
It added: “According to an initial examination, the reported number of casualties resulting from the strike does not align with the information held by the IDF.
“The IDF continues to precisely operate against terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip in accordance with international law, including taking measures to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians.”
Israel in early October began a major military operation in Gaza’s north, which it said aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.
Amid the ongoing violence, the US, Egypt and Qatar are engaged in renewed negotiations to halt the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages still held by militants in Gaza.
On Dec 17, the US expressed “cautious optimism”
The war was sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Hamas militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 96 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,206 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry that the UN considers reliable. AFP
