An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a family of six in Gaza City on Tuesday, according to local health officials. Medics said the strike hit a home in the Sabra neighbourhood, causing a fire that engulfed the building.
Health officials identified the victims as Firas Al-Masri, his wife Salsabeel, and their four children, including three daughters and one son. Emergency teams recovered the bodies after the house was destroyed by the explosion and resulting blaze.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the Israeli airstrike in Gaza but said the intended target was a Hamas operative. It added that it was reviewing the outcome of the operation following reports of civilian casualties.
In separate operations since Friday, the Israeli military said it had killed three militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. According to Israel, two of them participated in the October 7, 2023 attack and were involved in holding Israeli hostages.
Gaza health officials said more than 1,150 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire agreed in October. Hamas has not publicly disclosed the number of its fighters killed during the same period.
Although the ceasefire halted large-scale fighting, Israeli airstrikes have continued almost daily. Israel says the operations are aimed at militant targets, while Palestinian officials report continued civilian casualties across the territory.
The war began after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Gaza health authorities say Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the enclave’s population.
