UNITED NATIONS special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese condemned the “sadistic pattern” of Israel’s slaughter of Gaza civilians at the weekend after nine of the 10 children of a doctor couple were killed in their home while the two were at work.
The dead ranged from seven months to 12 years in age. The remaining child is in intensive care.
They were among dozens killed in an intensified bombing of Khan Younis over the weekend. Hamas said the attack was part of Israel’s bid to “break the spirit” of medical workers. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said they had struck buildings suspected of harbouring Hamas fighters and that civilians had been told to evacuate.
Ms Albanese said Gaza was facing a “new phase of genocide.” The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Israel’s war has wiped out 1,010 families, left 2,620 families with just one surviving member and 4,126 families with just two surviving members.
The Government Media Office of Hamas, which technically rules Gaza, said today 77 per cent of the Strip’s territory was now under direct Israeli occupation, and called on the UN to act to stop “continued genocide, ethnic cleansing, colonialism, aggression” and what it termed the “final solution” Israel is trying to impose on Gaza by force. Over 80 per cent of Gaza’s territory is now described as a “no-go area” or one Israel has warned people to leave, though the IDF continues to bombard areas it hasn’t told people to leave as well.
As well as medics, another journalist, Hassan Majdi Abu Warda of the Barq Gaza news agency, was killed, bringing the number of journalists killed by Israel in the war to 220. So was the director of Gaza’s Civil Defence, a rescue agency, Ashraf Abu Nar, killed alongside his wife as their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp was blown up.
Israel said it had shot down a missile fired by Yemen’s ruling Houthi group, which set off air raid sirens in Jerusalem. The Houthis confirmed they had fired the missile, with an informal ceasefire they agreed with the United States only committing them to avoid attacking US ships. Israel has complained that US President Donald Trump did not consult it or include a prohibition on attacks on Israel in the deal.