The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has taken a devastating turn as reports emerged of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza that killed at least 18 people from the same family. The strike targeted a house and adjacent warehouse sheltering displaced people at the entrance to the town of Zawaida.
Among the victims were Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a wholesaler who had coordinated with the Israeli military to bring meat and fish to Gaza. His two wives, 11 children aged two to 22, the children’s grandmother, and three other relatives were also killed.
The Israeli military stated that they had targeted “terrorist infrastructure” in central Gaza, citing recent rocket attacks on Israel. They acknowledged that civilians in an adjacent structure might have been killed and that the incident is under review.
Meanwhile, tensions in the West Bank escalated as Hamas confirmed the deaths of two of its senior operatives in an IDF drone strike in Jenin. Raafat Dawasi, a commander in the terror group’s local wing, and Ahmed Abu Ara, a senior operative, were targeted on Saturday evening. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) stated that the pair were involved in planning and carrying out a series of attacks, including the June 27 bomb attack in Jenin. They were also blamed for the shooting in the Jordan Valley.
The Israeli Defence Force spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the IDF and General Security Service had eliminated the two Hamas operatives who were involved in the planning of the terrorist shooting attack in the Jordan Valley that resulted in the death of Israeli citizen Yehonatan Deutsch.
Amidst these tragic developments, a new ceasefire proposal has emerged from Doha talks, but the Israeli authorities have issued mass evacuation orders in parts of central Gaza. The escalating violence has raised serious concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the potential for further bloodshed.
