Israeli Strike Kills Parents and Infant in Gaza as Ceasefire Erodes
Gaza-An Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment in central Gaza killed a Palestinian couple and their six-month-old son on Sunday, according to local health officials, highlighting the continued violence in the enclave despite an October ceasefire that has failed to end hostilities.
Medics said the strike hit an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing Mohammad Abu Mallouh, his wife Alaa Zaqlan and their infant son, Osama. The family was reportedly asleep when the attack occurred.Later on Sunday, Palestinian medical officials said a separate incident in northern Gaza left another Palestinian man dead after Israeli gunfire near a United Nations-operated medical clinic in the Jabalia refugee camp.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment on either incident.At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, relatives gathered to mourn the three family members as their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds, were prepared for burial.
The infant’s grandmother, Umm Hamza Abu Mallouh, told Reuters that the family had been sleeping together when the strike hit their home. She said the couple left behind six daughters.Yehia Abu Mallouh, brother of the deceased father, said residents received no warning before the attack.
He told Reuters that family members awoke to the sound of an explosion and discovered the home had been struck while its occupants were asleep.The deaths come as Israel has resumed issuing evacuation orders across parts of Gaza, a practice that had largely diminished after the ceasefire brokered in October under the administration of Donald Trump.
The ceasefire has not halted military operations. Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked in indirect negotiations centered on the group’s disarmament and the future governance of Gaza.Under the current arrangement, Israel maintains control over more than half of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas retains authority over a smaller coastal area, according to the source material.
Gaza health officials say approximately 880 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Israeli military reports that four Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants during the same period.Israel has said that post-ceasefire military actions are intended to prevent attacks and stop individuals from approaching areas near the armistice line separating Israeli and Hamas-controlled territory.
The latest fatalities underscore the fragility of the truce and the continuing humanitarian toll of a conflict that has persisted despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a more durable settlement.
