In a devastating incident early Saturday, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of 15 members of a Palestinian family, including nine children and three women, in the Al-Zawaida neighborhood of central Gaza. The airstrike targeted the home of the Ajlah family, according to Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency.
The airstrike, which occurred shortly after midnight, left the Ajlah family’s home in ruins. Eyewitness Ahmed Abu al-Ghoul described the harrowing scene, saying, “Three rockets hit the house directly. There were a lot of children and women inside… What have they done to deserve this?”
Footage from AFPTV, taken after dawn, showed rescuers frantically searching through the rubble of collapsed concrete blocks in a desperate attempt to recover bodies from the flattened structure.
This tragic event unfolds against the backdrop of a prolonged and intense conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has ravaged Gaza for more than 10 months. The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack on Israel, has resulted in widespread devastation in Gaza. According to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, the conflict has claimed the lives of 1,198 people, primarily civilians.
During the initial attack, militants took 251 hostages, of whom 111 remain in captivity in Gaza, with the Israeli military reporting that 39 of these captives are believed to be dead.
The international community has responded with condemnation and urgent calls for a ceasefire and peaceful resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Israel to further diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire. President Joe Biden has indicated that an agreement may be on the horizon, though he has cautioned against actions that could jeopardize negotiations.
However, a senior Hamas official has dismissed Biden’s optimism, asserting, “To claim that we are nearing a deal is a falsehood. We are not in the midst of a deal or genuine negotiations; rather, we are facing the imposition of American dictates.”
