A family of five was killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City, escalating concerns over the fragility of the October ceasefire.
According to medical sources cited by the Wafa news agency, the strike hit a building on al-Thalatini Street around 2:00 am local time on Saturday. Among the dead were a father and his two daughters, four-year-old Zina and 14-year-old Lana. The mother, initially wounded, later succumbed to her injuries, bringing the death toll to five. Several others were injured in the attack.
Mohammad Safadi, a relative who sustained a forehead wound, described the suddenness of the strike: "I was sitting at home. The rocket fell on us without a warning. This ceasefire the occupation and the negotiation team speak of… is this really a ceasefire? We are civilians. I never held a weapon."
Al Jazeera's Tareq Abuo Azzum, reporting from Gaza, confirmed that the area had received no prior warning before the strikes. "This is a grim reality that's growing day in, day out," he said.
The attack came just hours after Israeli air strikes targeted a tent sheltering displaced families in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, injuring five people. Meanwhile, heavy gunfire was reported from Israeli naval vessels off the coast of southern Gaza.
Since the US-brokered ceasefire in October, at least 1,007 people in Gaza have been killed and 3,165 wounded, according to health authorities. The overall death toll since the start of the war in October 2023 has reached at least 73,018.
Israel continues to restrict the entry of food, medical aid, and shelter materials into Gaza, where approximately 2.2 million people face acute humanitarian needs. The Israeli military also maintains occupation over large areas of the Strip.