Israeli Airstrike in Central Gaza Kills Three Civilians, Wounds Child; Military Says Targeted Hamas Militant

An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian man, his wife and their six-year-old daughter in an apartment building in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian health officials said. The strike injured their three-year-old son, Sami, medics said. The Israeli military stated that the Deir Al-Balah strike targeted a Hamas militant.

Mourners attended the funeral of Omar Abu Qassem, Asma Abu Qassem and Habeeba Abu Qassem at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, where friends and relatives paid farewell to the three white-shrouded bodies before burial. "The child is the lone survivor. How (to live) without a father, without a mother?

What kind of cruelty is this that the people of Palestine, the people of Gaza, are enduring? Where is the mercy? " said Abu Anas Shahin, a relative. A separate Israeli airstrike killed one person in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, medics said.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on that incident. The deaths add to a toll of more than 1,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since the October ceasefire took effect, according to health officials in Gaza. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.

More than 58,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents, according to United Nations figures as of November 2025. Hamas leaders concluded a round of truce talks in Cairo on Tuesday. The discussions, mediated by Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, sought to advance the second phase of U.S.

-backed Palestinian technocratic committee assuming power, deployment of an international security force and Gaza reconstruction. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have committed troops, though none have deployed as of July 15.

Mladenov said the ceasefire was holding but imperfectly, with violations continuing, and that Hamas has yet to agree to a roadmap for negotiations. Hamas official Basem Naim accused Mladenov of supporting Israel's position and failing to hold Israel accountable for ceasefire violations. Israel has moved its troops forward and now effectively occupies more than 60% of the Gaza Strip.