RAFAH: An overnight Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Rafah in the besieged Gaza Strip has resulted in the tragic deaths of nine members of a Palestinian family, including six children, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency. Five children aged one to seven and a 16-year-old girl were among the dead, along with two women and a man, according to the city’s Al Najjar hospital.
“Nine martyrs including six children were pulled out from the rubble after Israeli air forces struck a house of the Radwan family in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah,” Gaza Civil Defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in a statement.
The Israeli strike targeted the home of the Radwan family in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah. Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defence agency, confirmed the casualties, stating, “Nine martyrs, including six children, were pulled out from the rubble after Israeli air forces struck the house.”
Outside Al Najjar hospital, scenes of grief unfolded as relatives mourned over small body bags. A woman tenderly stroked the forehead of a deceased boy amidst the somber atmosphere, with the sound of planes overhead serving as a grim reminder of the ongoing violence.
Eyewitness accounts described the horrifying aftermath of the Israeli strike, highlighting the innocence of the victims. Abu Mohammed Ziyadah, a neighbor, lamented the loss, emphasizing that those killed were primarily women and children who were sleeping peacefully at the time of the attack.
The targeting of residential areas in Rafah, where a majority of Gaza’s population has sought refuge, has intensified fears among civilians. Despite Israeli warnings to relocate to “safe zones” in the south of Gaza, such as Rafah, the city has been subjected to regular bombardment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats of invasion have further fueled tensions in Rafah, where the population remains vulnerable to escalating violence. Bassal reported additional strikes in various neighborhoods of Rafah overnight, resulting in further casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
