Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Apr 12: In one of the deadliest recent strikes on Gaza, an Israeli air raid in the early hours of Friday killed an entire Palestinian family in Khan Younis, including several children, triggering a wave of fresh international outrage.
The air strike targeted the home of Mazen al-Farra in the al-Mahatta neighbourhood near the centre of Khan Younis a residence that had already suffered damage in an earlier bombing. The family had only recently repaired the house and returned to live there.
At around 3 am, Israeli warplanes launched another attack on the home, killing al-Farra, his wife, his mother-in-law Maryam al-Astal, and five of his children Saeed, Ibrahim, Taqwa, Maryam and Musab. His niece and nephew, Mira (10) and Ibrahim (7), were also killed. The youngest victim was just three years old. According to local reports, the strike came without prior warning.
Elsewhere in Gaza, three more people were killed in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, after Israeli bombs struck near the Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan School, where many displaced families had taken shelter.
These attacks come amid escalating violence across the Gaza Strip following Israel’s violation of the ceasefire on March 18, which led to renewed military operations. The UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) estimates that over 400,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced again in just the past few weeks.
“They are now also enduring by far the longest blockage of aid and commercial supplies since the start of the war,” Unrwa posted on X, calling for an immediate ceasefire, the dignified release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian aid access.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, painted a grim picture in a briefing on Thursday, noting that over 60,000 children in Gaza are now suffering from malnutrition, while community kitchens are running out of fuel and food. Water shortages, the spread of diseases in overcrowded shelters, and lack of sanitation supplies are compounding the health crisis.
In a desperate plea, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza warned on Thursday that medical supplies in hospitals and primary care centres have reached dangerously low levels. “The ongoing closure of border crossings to medical aid is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation,” it said.
Since Israel resumed its bombing campaign last month, more than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed. Overall, since October 2023, the total Palestinian death toll in Gaza has crossed 50,800, including over 15,000 children. An estimated 10,000 others remain missing and are presumed dead, buried beneath rubble and destroyed neighbourhoods.
The continued escalation has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed calls for urgent international intervention to halt the bloodshed and ensure the protection of civilians in Gaza.