Israeli strikes kill nine of a doctor’s 10 children as home hit, says hospital

Dr Farra told AP that Najjar’s husband was seriously wounded and their only surviving child, an 11-year-old boy, was in critical condition. He said the children who died were between seven months and 12 years old. Two of them were still under the rubble, said Khalil Al-Dokran, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Israeli military has not commented on the specific strike but said in a statement that its air force hit more than 100 targets across Gaza in the past day.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says the total number of people killed in the war has reached 53,901 since it began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023. According to the ministry, 3,747 people have died since Israel resumed its military operations on 18 March.

Israel has kept up pressure on Hamas with a blockade that began in early March. This week, a few aid trucks were allowed into Gaza for the first time since the blockade began. However, the number of trucks is far below the 600 that entered daily during the temporary ceasefire.

Food shortages have worsened, with images showing Palestinians lining up at the few charity kitchens still running. The growing crisis has led some of Israel’s allies to call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to allow more aid into Gaza.

Netanyahu’s government has proposed a new aid system managed by a US-backed group, but the United Nations and aid agencies have rejected it. They say the plan gives Israel control over aid and violates humanitarian principles. Israel says it wants to stop aid from being taken by Hamas, though aid groups and the UN say there is no major evidence of this happening.

The 7 October Hamas-led attack in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and 251 people were taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has destroyed large areas of Gaza. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, most of those killed have been women and children. The ministry does not separate civilian and militant deaths in its reports.

Israel says its military action will continue until Hamas releases the 58 remaining hostages and gives up its weapons. It believes fewer than half of those hostages are still alive.

Hamas says it will only release the hostages if Israel agrees to free more Palestinian prisoners, stop its military operations, and withdraw from Gaza. Netanyahu has rejected those terms and says Israel will continue to control Gaza and support what he calls voluntary emigration of Palestinians from the territory.