A Gaza City air strike killed a family of six, medics said, as the UN warned that civilian deaths are mounting in Gaza despite the ceasefire.
A Gaza City air strike killed a family of six in western Gaza City overnight, according to local medics, adding to a string of deadly Israeli strikes that have left civilians caught in the middle. The Gaza City air strike hit an apartment in the al-Sabra neighbourhood, where video footage showed the family’s home burning, and the UN later voiced fresh alarm over the rising toll on non-combatants.
The brother of Firas al-Masri told the BBC that he was killed along with his wife, Salsabeel, and their four children, named as Faryal, Salma, Amira and Naim. Medics said at least 12 Palestinians were killed in three separate strikes in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday afternoon, another four people were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in the al-Samar area of central Gaza City, Palestinian media reported, citing medics. Two more were killed in a drone strike on a vehicle in the al-Zahra area south of the city, they said.
The Israeli military said the target of the overnight strike was a Hamas operative and said it was still examining the outcome of the attack. It has not yet commented on the later strikes reported by Palestinian media. The pattern matters because it shows how quickly the conflict keeps producing civilian deaths even as each side presents its own account of military targets and results.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says at least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last October. Over the same period, it says four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Gaza. Those figures remain part of the broader, deeply contested war record, but they are the numbers now shaping the public case made by both sides.
“A Gaza City air strike killed a family of six, medics said, as the UN warned that civilian deaths are mounting in Gaza despite the ceasefire.”
The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that Israel’s recent military activity in Gaza had intensified. Spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said at least 57 Palestinians were killed between 13 and 20 July, including six children and eight women, in strikes on residential buildings, a tent camp for displaced families and other crowded areas. He added that 34 of the dead were killed far from the so-called Yellow Line, the boundary marking land in Gaza controlled by Israeli forces.
Al-Kheetan said that nine months after the ceasefire announcement, nowhere is safe for Palestinians in Gaza. He also warned that the killing of civilians raises concerns about possible breaches of international humanitarian law, war crimes and other atrocity crimes. Those are serious allegations, and they underscore why the UN is pressing the issue now rather than treating the violence as background noise.
Israel has recently announced a wave of strikes against members of Palestinian armed groups it says were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza that followed has killed more than 73,290 people, according to the territory’s health ministry. For American readers, the takeaway is clear: the ceasefire has not ended the human cost, and the civilian death toll remains a central test of whether this war is moving toward restraint or deeper escalation.
Frequently asked questions
Who was killed in the Gaza City air strike overnight?
According to the brother of Firas al-Masri, he was killed with his wife, Salsabeel, and their four children: Faryal, Salma, Amira and Naim.
How many people were killed in the strikes mentioned in the article?
Medics said at least 12 Palestinians were killed in three separate strikes in the Gaza Strip. The article also says four people were killed in a strike on a home in central Gaza City and two more in a drone strike on a vehicle south of the city.
What did the Israeli military say about the overnight strike?
The Israeli military said the target was a Hamas operative. It said it was still examining the outcome of the attack.
What concerns did the UN raise about the situation in Gaza?
The UN human rights office said Israel’s recent military activity had intensified and that civilians were being killed in residential buildings and crowded areas. It warned that the killings raise concerns about possible breaches of international humanitarian law, war crimes and other atrocity crimes.
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