No Place Is Safe Anymore In Gaza

GAZA: At least 12 Palestinians, including six from a single family, were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip yesterday.

Gaza’s civil defence agency, which serves as a rescue force, said one of the strikes targeted the Al‑Masri family home in the centre of Gaza City, while six others were killed in separate attacks on the same day.

Meanwhile, witnesses said six from one family, including four children, were killed in the strike, while Al‑Shifa Hospital in Gaza confirmed receiving the bodies and the wounded.

An Israeli military source said the attack targeted “a Hamas member” at the location, but declined to comment further, while AFP journalists at the scene witnessed severe damage to the house.

The Israeli military said airstrikes were launched against “several individuals who were transferring weapons using a vehicle” in southern Gaza.

Family members of the victims gathered at the hospital, with some weeping as the body of a young girl was placed alongside other bodies.

A survivor identified as Ahmed Al‑Masri said the attack came without warning, adding that he heard the cries of children screaming for help but was unable to save them.

He did, however, manage to save his son through a window while the fire was raging, and informed that his brother, sister‑in‑law, and four nephews were killed in the attack.

Another witness, Youssef Al‑Masri, said the attack occurred at around 2 a.m.

The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in effect, but has failed to stop the violence in Gaza, while efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement to end the war continue to hit deadlock.

Thameen Al‑Kheetan, spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office, said at least 57 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks between July 13 and 20.

“The Israeli military has intensified attacks in Gaza over the past few days. There is no place that is truly safe for Palestinians in Gaza,” he told reporters in Geneva.

The Israeli military has recently announced a series of strikes targeting members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who are alleged to have been involved in the attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect last October, while the Israeli military reported that five of its soldiers and one civilian contractor had been killed in Gaza during the same period.

AFP