GAZA: Israeli forces on Tuesday bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip where Palestinian officials said one strike killed 10 family members of Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh, including his sister.
Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza said that at least 37,658 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign since October 7 last year. The toll includes at least 32 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said.
The civil defence agency in Gaza reported that the Israeli strike targeted the family’s residence in the northern Al-Shati refugee camp. The attack, which was not immediately confirmed by Israel’s military, reportedly left several persons trapped under the rubble of the destroyed house.
Mahmud Basal, the spokesperson for the civil defence agency, confirmed the casualties, stating to AFP, “There are 10 martyrs and several injured as a result of the strike, including Zahr Haniyeh, sister of Hamas’s political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.”
Haniyeh lost three sons and four grandchildren in a strike in April, when the Israeli military accused them of “terrorist activities”. The Hamas chief at the time said about 60 of his relatives had died in the Gaza war.
The incident comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested a de-escalation in what he described as the “intense phase” of the conflict that began on October 7. However, hostilities have continued, underscoring the fragile nature of the situation despite recent diplomatic efforts.
Netanyahu has asserted that military actions will continue until all hostages held by Hamas are released and threats to Israeli security are neutralized.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages have faced setbacks, primarily over disagreements regarding the terms of a permanent agreement between Israel and Hamas. Hamas has reiterated its demands for a permanent end to the fighting and a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, which Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in talks with Israeli officials including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, emphasized the need to avoid further escalation and to seek a diplomatic solution that addresses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Blinken warned Israel to avoid further escalation in Lebanon and also discussed ongoing efforts toward a deal to free the remaining captives in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies have raised alarms over the escalating casualties and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warned of deteriorating conditions and the breakdown of civil order amidst the ongoing conflict.
Since October 7, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 37,658 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, Gaza’s health ministry said.
Since then, civil defence crews have recovered 13 more bodies from three locations hit by Israeli air strikes, said agency spokesman Basal before the latest attack on the Haniyah family home.
Global outrage has grown over the surging death toll, and Gallant was greeted with shouts of “war criminal” by several dozen protesters as he left the meeting with Blinken.
Israel has also imposed a siege on Gaza’s 2.4 million people, depriving them of most food and other essentials, the suffering alleviated only by sporadic aid shipments.
“There is no more water or food. We are totally trapped,” said Haitham Abu Taha, among the very few Palestinians who have returned to Rafah after heavy battles.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned of “the breakdown of civil order” in Gaza as well as “catastrophic levels of hunger”.
UNRWA has been in crisis since January, when Israel accused about a dozen of its 13,000 Gaza employees of involvement in the October 7 attack that sparked the war.
