Palestinian family of 10 erased in overnight Israeli strike on Khan Younis
An Israeli air strike killed an entire Palestinian family, including several children, on Friday by targeting a home that had previously been bombed in Khan Younis.
The home, belonging to the family of Mazen al-Farra, was located in the al-Mahatta neighbourhood, near the centre of Khan Younis.
Although the house had been damaged in an earlier strike, the family had recently repaired it and returned to live there.
At approximately 3am, the house was struck again, resulting in the deaths of Mazen al-Farra, his wife, his mother-in-law Maryam al-Astal, and five of his children: Saeed, Ibrahim, Taqwa, Maryam and Musab.
Also killed in the strike were al-Farra’s niece and nephew Mira and Ibrahim, aged 10 and seven, respectively.
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The youngest of the children was three years old.
The strike, which erased an entire family from the civil registry, came without prior warning, according to local reports.
Elsewhere, Israeli bombing in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip killed three people on Friday.
Local sources reported that the strike hit near the Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan School gate, which had been sheltering displaced families.
The bombings come as Israel continues to attack Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, besieging them and forcibly displacing hundreds of thousands from their homes.
'Longest blockade of aid'
Since Israel violated the ceasefire and resumed the war on 18 March, at least 400,000 people in Gaza have been forcibly displaced again, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa.
“They are now also enduring by far the longest blockage of aid and commercial supplies since the start of the war,” Unrwa said on X.
“We call for a renewal of the ceasefire now, a dignified release of all the hostages in Gaza, and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies.”
Even before the resumption of bombing, the Israeli military had blocked the entry of essential goods and aid into Gaza.
“More than 60,000 children are reportedly suffering from malnutrition, at a time when community kitchens are rapidly running out of fuel and supplies,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, in a briefing on Thursday.
“Across Gaza, partners are also warning of acute water shortages in shelters hosting displaced people. The loss of water – together with the lack of cleaning supplies and cohabitation with livestock – are having a dire public health impact.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza issued an urgent appeal on Thursday for immediate international assistance to replenish medical supplies in hospitals and primary care centres.
It warned that stock levels have reached unprecedented and dangerous lows.
“The ongoing closure of border crossings to medical aid is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, posing catastrophic challenges to the ability of healthcare workers to treat patients and the wounded,” it said.
Since the renewal of the bombing campaign last month, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,500 Palestinians.
Overall, Israeli forces have killed more than 50,800 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, including over 15,000 children. At least another 10,000 people are missing and presumed dead.
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