An Israeli strike on Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Saturday, 3 May, resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 11 people, including three babies up to a year old, according to WAFA News Agency.
The overnight attack, which targeted the Al-Bayram family home, has sparked outrage among Khan Yunis residents and intensified concerns over the ongoing conflict’s devastating impact on civilians.
Gaza’s Civil defense (an agency responsible for rescue operations and emergency response in the Gaza Strip) spokesperson Mahmud Bassal reported that the victims – eight of whom have been identified– were all members of the same extended family.
Among the dead were a one-month-old infant, as well as a one-year-old boy and girl. Rescue workers and residents desperately were searching for survivors through the rubble with their bare hands while using torches to illuminate the wreckage.
Fayka Abu Hatab, a resident of a nearby building, spoke to AFP about the moments of the attack.
“I saw a bright light, then there was an explosion, and dust covered the entire area,” she said. “We couldn’t see anything, it all went dark. All of our windows were destroyed, our rooms were destroyed, and the neighbors’ house was destroyed.”
An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed the strike, stating that it targeted a “terrorist Hamas member,” but provided no further details.
The incident comes as Israel has resumed its military offensive in Gaza on 18 March, 2025 following a two-month truce, further worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged territory.
The health ministry in Gaza reports that at least 2,396 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign, bringing the overall death toll since the war began to a staggering 52,495.
The ongoing blockade of Gaza, which has been in place since 2 March, has severely restricted the flow of aid and led to warnings from UN agencies of a humanitarian catastrophe and the looming threat of famine.
Moreover, the situation is further complicated by Israel’s halt of aid deliveries, citing Hamas’s alleged diversion of supplies.
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