Babies

Baraa’ Wisam Ahmad al-Gharabli

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May 10, 2021: Baraa’ Wisam Ahmad al-Gharabli, 4, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit his home in Gaza.

As of Tuesday morning, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed that Israeli airstrikes have killed 26 Palestinians, including 9 children and one woman, and wounded at least a hundred in the Gaza Strip. Israel began its assault on Gaza Monday evening, following three weeks of Israeli settler and soldier attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem. The Israeli attacks in Jerusalem began on the first day of Ramadan on April 12th, and have continued throughout the Muslim holy month, which is set to end Wednesday, May 12th. Israel’s attacks focused on Palestinian Muslims attempting to pray at the holy al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Yazan al-Masri, 1

In Gaza, reports continue to trickle in from hospitals and from survivors of the Israeli airstrikes. In addition to the nine children, including a 9-year old girl, who were confirmed killed in the first wave of Israeli airstrikes, local sources have also confirmed that a woman and her disabled son were among those slain.

In addition to those identified in the update below, five additional victims have been identified as having been killed by the two missiles that struck the home of Ibrahim Atallah al-Masri in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza Monday night.

  • Ibrahim Yousef Atallah al-Masri, 10 years old
  • Yazin Sultan Atallah al-Masri, 1-year-old
  • Marwan Yousef Atallah al-Masri, 12
  • Rahaf Mohammad Atallah al-Masri, 10-year-old girl
  • Ahmad Mohammad Atallah al-Masri, 20
Mother of Rahaf al-Masri weeping over her child’s death

Before dawn Tuesday, the Israeli army fired missiles into an apartment in a residential tower, in the Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza city, killing three Palestinians, and seriously wounding one, in addition to injuring at least seven other Palestinians in adjacent apartments. The Maan News Agency said the army targeted leaders of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, in the residential tower. The slain Palestinians have been identified as:

  • Sameh al-Mamlouk
  • Kamal Taiseer Qreiqe’, 35
  • Mohammad Abu al-Ata

Extrajudicial assassinations are considered violations of international law but are a common practice by the Israeli military.

In Khan Younis, a Palestinian died of wounds sustained Monday evening during Israeli missile attacks in the al-Manara area of the city. He has been identified as:

  • Salim Mahmoud al-Farra, 37

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children covered in dust after surviving Israeli missile strike

The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has confirmed, on Monday at night, that the Israeli army’s bombardment and shelling of the Gaza Strip, has resulted in the death of twenty Palestinians, including 9 children, and the injury of 95 others.

The Health Ministry added that, among the slain children is a girl, only nine years of age.

It also said the 95 Palestinians, including children and women, were injured by the Israeli missiles and shells, some seriously.

Meanwhile, the Ma’an News Agency has reported that five Palestinians were killed when an Israeli shell struck a yard behind the al-Omari Mosque in Gaza.

It added that an Israeli missile struck a land, east of Jabalia in northern Gaza, leading to the death of its owner Saber Ibrahim Suleiman, 39و and his son Mohammad, 16.

The Israeli bombardment in Jabalia also led to the death of:

  • Esmat Sha’ban az-Zein
  • Mousa Khalil az-Zein, 19
  • Zakariya Ziad Alloush
  • Bashir Mohammad Alloush
  • Raed al-‘Abed Abu Warda, 27
  • Nabil an-No’mani Dardouna
  • Mustafa Mohammad Obeid, 17

In Beit Hanoun, the soldiers fired two missiles at the home of Ibrahim Atallah al-Masri, killing eight Palestinians and wounding several others.

The army also fired a missile at a motorcycle near a mosque in Beit Hanoun, killing Mohammad Nosseir and Mohammad Fayyad, in addition to firing a missile into the home of Husam Ali Nosseir, behind Abu Bakr Mosque in Beit Hanoun, causing several injuries.

Ma’an said the Palestinians, who were killed in the Israeli bombardment in Beit Hanoun, have been identified a Mohammad Ali Mohammad Nosseir, Mohammad Abdullah Zidan Fayyad, Ibrahim Yousef Atallah al-Masri, Marwan Yousef Atallah al-Masri, Ahmad Mohammad Atallah al-Masri, and Rahaf Mohammad Atallah al-Masri.

 – Updates Will be made once officially available

Updated From:
Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Kill 21 Palestinians, Including 9 Children
May 11, 2021, at 00:03

WAFA

Israeli warplanes bombarded the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday, killing at least 21 people including 9 children, the Ministry of Health in Gaza has confirmed.

The names of those killed have not yet been released, but IMEMC will update this article with the information as soon as it is available.

In northern Gaza, Israeli forces fired missiles from an unmanned Israeli drone, striking dozens of civilians in the city of Beit Hanoun, killing 21 and injuring 65 others.

Several missiles were fired into the besieged coastal region, in response to rockets fired from the resistance factions in Gaza.

According to Jerusalem (Quds) Press correspondent, Israeli jets fired missiles at a large gathering of Palestinian civilians on Al-Masryin Street, adding that several people were transferred to the hospital for their injuries.

Earlier Monday, the “Joint Chamber of Palestinian Resistance Factions” demanded that the Israeli authorities disengage from the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem.

Resistance factions set a deadline of 6pm, at which time they would retaliate for the violations against the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem.

At 6pm the Palestinian resistance reportedly fired several crude, homemade rockets into Israel from the besieged Gaza Strip, no casualties or damage were reported.

Baraa’ was from the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Omar Yaghi

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June 18th, 2020: Omar Yaghi, 8 months, died of lack of treatment for a medical condition when he was denied a permit by Israeli authorities who run the West Bank and Gaza under martial law.

The Israeli Annexation Plan, announced last month by Israeli authorities, and put into practice this month, has apparently claimed its first victim, as a Palestinian baby scheduled for a lifesaving operation in Israel.

An eight-month-old infant from the Gaza Strip was the first to die under this new system of closure and annexation – but the Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) warn that he will not be the last.

Omar Yaghi, with a cardiac condition, died on Thursday after Israeli military officials denied his family the access to go to Israel for his scheduled May 24th surgery at Sheba Medical Center.

The stated reason for the denial of his travel was the cessation of coordination between the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee (PCAC) – a part of the Palestinian Authority (PA) – and the Israeli military authorities which control all access to the West Bank and Gaza, and all internal roadways and travel.

Israeli authorities have long used an antiquated and nearly-impossible to navigate ‘permit’ system which requires Palestinians who need medical care to go to a military base and wait for hours or days to try to get a permit to reach the hospital. This system has cost hundreds of lives over the years, and now, with the Palestinian Authority pulling its implicit consent for this martial law, there are no permits being issued and therefore, no travel for medical care.

The problem lies not with the Palestinian Authority, however, as most media have tried to claim, but with Israel, which has an obligation under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to provide the means for the population under its military’s occupation since 1967 to be allowed freedom of access to medical care.

According to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), “In recent days, we have seen a spike in requests for help from Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank who need medical treatment that is not available locally. These patients, some in critical condition and who require life-saving treatment, have told us that the Palestinian agencies in charge of liaising with the Israeli authorities have stopped transferring exit permit applications that were submitted for medical reasons.

“Patients further reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Health refuses to refer them to Israeli hospitals or cover the cost of treatment in Israel. Consequently, Israeli hospitals have refused to admit back organ transplant patients who have returned to their homes for post-surgery rehabilitation.

“Among the people affected are two leukemia patients from Nablus aged 25 and 46, whose routine treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem was halted over lack of coverage by the Palestinian Authority; a 37-year-old lung transplant patient who stopped receiving care at Beilinson Hospital as the Palestinian Ministry of Health refused to cover the 900 Shekel per-visit cost; an eight-month-old baby with a heart condition from the Gaza Strip who has been unable to travel for treatment at Sheba Hospital because the Palestinian Civilian Affairs Committee refuses to forward an exit permit application for him and a 24-year-old woman from the Gaza Strip who requires ongoing treatment for orthopedic issues and whose application for a permit was denied by the Palestinian coordination. ”

The Israeli human rights group concludes, “Given the fact that Israel controls the area, the crossings and the living conditions of the Palestinian population, and since Israel instituted the failed permit system, it shoulders the responsibility to find a quick solution to enable patients to travel freely to receive medical treatment. Most patients in the Gaza Strip travel for treatment in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and their health must not be affected. We are on the brink of medical chaos. Right now, hundreds are affected. Thousands will be affected soon.”

It is worth mentioning that the child had an appointment scheduled for May 24th, at Tal HaShomer Israeli Medical Center, but when no permit to leave Gaza was issued, the appointment was rescheduled for June 21st.

His condition then worsened, and he was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit of the Rantisi Hospital in Gaza, and he died at dawn of June 18th.

Omar was from the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Moath Mohammad Sawarka

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November 14, 2019: Moath Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 7, was killed along with his little brother, his uncle and aunt, and three of his first cousins, in an Israeli missile strike that hit their family home on Thursday at dawn.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli missiles targeted a Palestinian home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing eight members of the same family, and wounding thirteen others.

The Health Ministry stated that Israeli F16 war jets fired missiles into a home in Deir al-Balah, killing eight family members, and wounding at least thirteen others, most of them women and children.

The remains of two more children were found under the rubble after a lengthy search for survivors.

Mohannad’s best friend Mohammad Mehsen, 14, said to reporters with Middle East Eye at his funeral, “We heard the massive explosion at midnight and immediately rushed to their house. I was shocked. Muhannad’s house completely disappeared, as if it had never been there.”

Although Mohannad was two years younger than Mohammad, he was his “closest friend”.

“I knew Mohannad since we were in kindergarten, we were friends and neighbours, and used to go to school together,” the boy said.

“Mohannad and I used to play with our bicycles every day after school, but when it got dark at night, we loved to play hide and seek,” he smiled. “He loved animals and especially dogs, he always wanted to adopt one”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has reported that the slain Sawarka (Abu Malhous) family has been officially identified as:

  1. Rasmi Salem Odah Sawarka, 45.
  2. Mariam Salem Nasser Sawarka, 45.
  3. Mohannad Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 12.
  4. Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 2.
  5.  Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 3.
  6.  Moath Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 7.
  7. Waseem Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 13.
  8. Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka, 39.

Only one toddler survived the Israeli attack and was found shielded by her slain brother. She was identified as Farah Rasmi Salem Al Sawarka, sister to Mohannad, 12, Salem, 3, and Firas, 2, who were killed, and the youngest child of Rasmi Salem al-Sawarka, 45, and Mariam Sawarka. Both parents were also killed. Farah is the only surviving family member. Her uncle, Mohammad, also survived the attack with severe injuries, but his wife and two children – Moath, 7, and Waseem, 13, were killed.

The slain and injured Palestinians were moved to the al-Aqsa hospital, while medics and rescue teams started a search campaign, looking for more Palestinians who might be buried under the rubble.

In related news, a six-month pregnant woman, identified as Iman Abu Tayyim, suffered a miscarriage in a severe anxiety attack after the soldiers fired missiles near her home, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The escalation on the Gaza Strip started when Israel assassinated a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, identified as Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, when the soldiers dropped a missile on his home, killing him along with his wife, Asma’, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor, in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city.

Israeli missiles and shells have caused a power blackout after striking main powerlines and transformers, especially in Gaza city and the northern parts of the coastal region, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

The deaths of the 8 family members bring the total number of casualties in the three days of Israeli aggression against Gaza to 34. More than 100 have been wounded. Among the wounded are at least 30 children and 13 women. No Israelis have been killed or wounded.

Just after the family was killed, a ceasefire went into effect at 5:30 am on Thursday morning.

Moath was from Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Waseem Mohammad Sawarka

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November 14, 2019: Waseem Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 13, was killed along with his little brother, his uncle and aunt, and three of his first cousins, in an Israeli missile strike that hit their family home on Thursday at dawn.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli missiles targeted a Palestinian home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing eight members of the same family, and wounding thirteen others.

The Health Ministry stated that Israeli F16 war jets fired missiles into a home in Deir al-Balah, killing eight family members, and wounding at least thirteen others, most of them women and children.

The remains of two more children were found under the rubble after a lengthy search for survivors.

Mohannad’s best friend Mohammad Mehsen, 14, said to reporters with Middle East Eye at his funeral, “We heard the massive explosion at midnight and immediately rushed to their house. I was shocked. Muhannad’s house completely disappeared, as if it had never been there.”

Although Mohannad was two years younger than Mohammad, he was his “closest friend”.

“I knew Mohannad since we were in kindergarten, we were friends and neighbours, and used to go to school together,” the boy said.

“Mohannad and I used to play with our bicycles every day after school, but when it got dark at night, we loved to play hide and seek,” he smiled. “He loved animals and especially dogs, he always wanted to adopt one”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has reported that the slain Sawarka (Abu Malhous) family has been officially identified as:

  1. Rasmi Salem Odah Sawarka, 45.
  2. Mariam Salem Nasser Sawarka, 45.
  3. Mohannad Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 12.
  4. Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 2.
  5.  Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 3.
  6.  Moath Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 7.
  7. Waseem Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 13.
  8. Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka, 39.

Only one toddler survived the Israeli attack and was found shielded by her slain brother. She was identified as Farah Rasmi Salem Al Sawarka, sister to Mohannad, 12, Salem, 3, and Firas, 2, who were killed, and the youngest child of Rasmi Salem al-Sawarka, 45, and Mariam Sawarka. Both parents were also killed. Farah is the only surviving family member. Her uncle, Mohammad, also survived the attack with severe injuries, but his wife and two children – Moath, 7, and Waseem, 13, were killed.

The slain and injured Palestinians were moved to the al-Aqsa hospital, while medics and rescue teams started a search campaign, looking for more Palestinians who might be buried under the rubble.

In related news, a six-month pregnant woman, identified as Iman Abu Tayyim, suffered a miscarriage in a severe anxiety attack after the soldiers fired missiles near her home, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The escalation on the Gaza Strip started when Israel assassinated a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, identified as Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, when the soldiers dropped a missile on his home, killing him along with his wife, Asma’, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor, in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city.

Israeli missiles and shells have caused a power blackout after striking main powerlines and transformers, especially in Gaza city and the northern parts of the coastal region, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

The deaths of the 8 family members bring the total number of casualties in the three days of Israeli aggression against Gaza to 34. More than 100 have been wounded. Among the wounded are at least 30 children and 13 women. No Israelis have been killed or wounded.

Just after the family was killed, a ceasefire went into effect at 5:30 am on Thursday morning.

Waseem was from Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka

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November 14, 2019: Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka, 39, was killed along with two of her small children, her brother-in-law, his wife, and three of their children in an Israeli missile strike that hit their family home on Thursday at dawn.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli missiles targeted a Palestinian home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing eight members of the same family, and wounding thirteen others.

The Health Ministry stated that Israeli F16 war jets fired missiles into a home in Deir al-Balah, killing eight family members, and wounding at least thirteen others, most of them women and children.

The remains of two more children were found under the rubble after a lengthy search for survivors.

Mohannad’s best friend Mohammad Mehsen, 14, said to reporters with Middle East Eye at his funeral, “We heard the massive explosion at midnight and immediately rushed to their house. I was shocked. Muhannad’s house completely disappeared, as if it had never been there.”

Although Mohannad was two years younger than Mohammad, he was his “closest friend”.

“I knew Mohannad since we were in kindergarten, we were friends and neighbours, and used to go to school together,” the boy said.

“Mohannad and I used to play with our bicycles every day after school, but when it got dark at night, we loved to play hide and seek,” he smiled. “He loved animals and especially dogs, he always wanted to adopt one”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has reported that the slain Sawarka (Abu Malhous) family has been officially identified as:

  1. Rasmi Salem Odah Sawarka, 45.
  2. Mariam Salem Nasser Sawarka, 45.
  3. Mohannad Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 12.
  4. Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 2.
  5.  Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 3.
  6.  Moath Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 7.
  7. Waseem Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 13.
  8. Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka, 39.

Only one toddler survived the Israeli attack and was found shielded by her slain brother. She was identified as Farah Rasmi Salem Al Sawarka, sister to Mohannad, 12, Salem, 3, and Firas, 2, who were killed, and the youngest child of Rasmi Salem al-Sawarka, 45, and Mariam Sawarka. Both parents were also killed. Farah is the only surviving family member. Her uncle, Mohammad, also survived the attack with severe injuries, but his wife and two children – Moath, 7, and Waseem, 13, were killed.

The slain and injured Palestinians were moved to the al-Aqsa hospital, while medics and rescue teams started a search campaign, looking for more Palestinians who might be buried under the rubble.

In related news, a six-month pregnant woman, identified as Iman Abu Tayyim, suffered a miscarriage in a severe anxiety attack after the soldiers fired missiles near her home, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The escalation on the Gaza Strip started when Israel assassinated a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, identified as Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, when the soldiers dropped a missile on his home, killing him along with his wife, Asma’, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor, in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city.

Israeli missiles and shells have caused a power blackout after striking main powerlines and transformers, especially in Gaza city and the northern parts of the coastal region, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

The deaths of the 8 family members bring the total number of casualties in the three days of Israeli aggression against Gaza to 34. More than 100 have been wounded. Among the wounded are at least 30 children and 13 women. No Israelis have been killed or wounded.

Just after the family was killed, a ceasefire went into effect at 5:30 am on Thursday morning.

Yosra was from Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka

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November 14, 2019: Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 2, was killed along with his parents and two older brothers, as well as his aunt and two cousins, by an Israeli missile strike that hit their family home on Thursday at dawn.

His little sister, an infant, survived while shielded by her brother’s body. When the bodies were recovered from the rubble by rescue workers, the workers who saved the baby thought that it seemed her brothers died trying to protect her from harm.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli missiles targeted a Palestinian home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing eight members of the same family, and wounding thirteen others.

The Health Ministry stated that Israeli F16 war jets fired missiles into a home in Deir al-Balah, killing eight family members, and wounding at least thirteen others, most of them women and children.

The remains of two more children were found under the rubble after a lengthy search for survivors.

Mohannad’s best friend Mohammed Mehsen, 14, said to reporters with Middle East Eye at his funeral, “We heard the massive explosion at midnight and immediately rushed to their house. I was shocked. Muhannad’s house completely disappeared, as if it had never been there.”

Although Muhannad was two years younger than Mohammed, he was his “closest friend”.

“I knew Muhannad since we were in kindergarten, we were friends and neighbours, and used to go to school together,” the boy said.

“Muhannad and I used to play with our bicycles every day after school, but when it got dark at night, we loved to play hide and seek,” he smiled. “He loved animals and especially dogs, he always wanted to adopt one”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has reported that the slain Sawarka (Abu Malhous) family has been officially identified as:

  1. Rasmi Salem Odah Sawarka, 45.
  2. Mariam Salem Nasser Sawarka, 45.
  3. Mohannad Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 12.
  4. Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 2.
  5.  Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 3.
  6.  Moath Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 7.
  7. Waseem Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 13.
  8. Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka, 39.

Only one toddler survived the Israeli attack and was found shielded by her slain brother. She was identified as Farah Rasmi Salem Al Sawarka, sister to Mohannad, 12, Salem, 3, and Firas, 2, who were killed, and the youngest child of Rasmi Salem al-Sawarka, 45, and Mariam Sawarka. Both parents were also killed. Farah is the only surviving family member. Her uncle, Mohammad, also survived the attack with severe injuries, but his wife and two children – Moath, 7, and Waseem, 13, were killed.

The slain and injured Palestinians were moved to the al-Aqsa hospital, while medics and rescue teams started a search campaign, looking for more Palestinians who might be buried under the rubble.

In related news, a six-month pregnant woman, identified as Iman Abu Tayyim, suffered a miscarriage in a severe anxiety attack after the soldiers fired missiles near her home, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The escalation on the Gaza Strip started when Israel assassinated a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, identified as Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, when the soldiers dropped a missile on his home, killing him along with his wife, Asma’, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor, in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city.

Israeli missiles and shells have caused a power blackout after striking main powerlines and transformers, especially in Gaza city and the northern parts of the coastal region, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

The deaths of the 8 family members bring the total number of casualties in the three days of Israeli aggression against Gaza to 34. More than 100 have been wounded. Among the wounded are at least 30 children and 13 women. No Israelis have been killed or wounded.

Just after the family was killed, a ceasefire went into effect at 5:30 am on Thursday morning.

Firas was from Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka

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November 14, 2019: Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 3, was killed along with his parents and two older brothers, as well as his aunt and two cousins, by an Israeli missile strike that hit their family home on Thursday at dawn.

His little sister, an infant, survived while shielded by her brother’s body. When the bodies were recovered from the rubble by rescue workers, the workers who saved the baby thought that it seemed her brothers died trying to protect her from harm.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli missiles targeted a Palestinian home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, killing eight members of the same family, and wounding thirteen others.

The Health Ministry stated that Israeli F16 war jets fired missiles into a home in Deir al-Balah, killing eight family members, and wounding at least thirteen others, most of them women and children.

The remains of two more children were found under the rubble after a lengthy search for survivors.

Mohannad’s best friend Mohammed Mehsen, 14, said to reporters with Middle East Eye at his funeral, “We heard the massive explosion at midnight and immediately rushed to their house. I was shocked. Muhannad’s house completely disappeared, as if it had never been there.”

Although Muhannad was two years younger than Mohammed, he was his “closest friend”.

“I knew Muhannad since we were in kindergarten, we were friends and neighbours, and used to go to school together,” the boy said.

“Muhannad and I used to play with our bicycles every day after school, but when it got dark at night, we loved to play hide and seek,” he smiled. “He loved animals and especially dogs, he always wanted to adopt one”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has reported that the slain Sawarka (Abu Malhous) family has been officially identified as:

  1. Rasmi Salem Odah Sawarka, 45.
  2. Mariam Salem Nasser Sawarka, 45.
  3. Mohannad Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 12.
  4. Firas Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 2.
  5.  Salem Rasmi Salem Sawarka, 3.
  6.  Moath Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 7.
  7. Waseem Mohammad Salem Sawarka, 13.
  8. Yosra Mohammad Awwad Sawarka, 39.

Only one toddler survived the Israeli attack and was found shielded by her slain brother. She was identified as Farah Rasmi Salem Al Sawarka, sister to Mohannad, 12, Salem, 3, and Firas, 2, who were killed, and the youngest child of Rasmi Salem al-Sawarka, 45, and Mariam Sawarka. Both parents were also killed. Farah is the only surviving family member. Her uncle, Mohammad, also survived the attack with severe injuries, but his wife and two children – Moath, 7, and Waseem, 13, were killed.

The slain and injured Palestinians were moved to the al-Aqsa hospital, while medics and rescue teams started a search campaign, looking for more Palestinians who might be buried under the rubble.

In related news, a six-month pregnant woman, identified as Iman Abu Tayyim, suffered a miscarriage in a severe anxiety attack after the soldiers fired missiles near her home, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The escalation on the Gaza Strip started when Israel assassinated a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, identified as Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, when the soldiers dropped a missile on his home, killing him along with his wife, Asma’, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor, in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city.

Israeli missiles and shells have caused a power blackout after striking main powerlines and transformers, especially in Gaza city and the northern parts of the coastal region, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

The deaths of the 8 family members bring the total number of casualties in the three days of Israeli aggression against Gaza to 34. More than 100 have been wounded. Among the wounded are at least 30 children and 13 women. No Israelis have been killed or wounded.

Just after the family was killed, a ceasefire went into effect at 5:30 am on Thursday morning.

Salem was from Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Maria Ahmad al-Ghazali

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May 5, 2019: Maria Ahmad al-Ghazali, 4 months, was killed by Israeli airstrikes targeting civilian areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the deaths of 23 Palestinians, including a family – mother, father and 4-month old baby, killed by Israeli missile strikes on residential areas in Gaza.

Palestinian and Israeli media sources reported that 23 Palestinians and 4 Israelis were killed since the Israeli offensive began on Saturday, as Israeli forces escalated their bombardment of the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian resistance groups fired more rockets into Israel.

Within the list of the Palestinians killed were two pregnant women (some media sources have added the two names of the fetuses to the casualty list).

The escalation of airstrikes occurred after Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu met with his cabinet and announced that he would increase his assault on the besieged coastal strip, where 2 million Palestinians live in the world’s largest open-air prison.

According to Haaretz, the army spokesperson said the military struck 260 “targets” in several parts of the Gaza Strip. Ha’aretz also reported that Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz ordered a temporary halt of the pumping of natural gas from the Tamar field off the coast of Gaza – a gas field which Palestinians say should belong to them, but which Israel claimed several years ago and has been pumping for gas since then.

Authorities say they fear the gas rig being targeted by Palestinian resistance fighters.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Abdel Rahim Mustafa Taha Al-Madhoun  and Hani Hamdan Abu Sha’ar, 37, were killed by Israeli missiles in the  northern Gaza Strip.

Four civilians, including a pregnant woman and her two children, were killed in an overnight raid on the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. They were identified as: Abdullah Abdul Rahim Al Madhoun, 22, Fadi Ragheb Badran, 31, and Shahida Amani Al-Madhoun (33 years old), who was killed along with her unborn baby – she was nine months pregnant.

In addition to the three killed,  eight others were reportedly injured in the Israeli  airstrike, which targeted Al-Faraj Sheikh Zayed in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Two Palestinian civilians were reportedly killed in the shelling of Rafah. They were identified as Mousa Muammar, 24, and Ali Abdul Jawad, 51 years old. Three people were seriously injured in that same airstrike, which  targeted a residential building in the city of Rafah.

The Israeli airforce reportedly targeted the home of the Director General of the Internal Security Forces in Gaza, Major General Tawfiq Abu Naim in Nosseirat central Gaza Strip.

Two apartments were destroyed in Tower No. 10 in the Sheikh Zayed Towers in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Health Ministry has reported that the army fired missiles into an apartment in Zayed Residential Towers, in northern Gaza, Sunday, killing Maria Ahmad Ramadan al-Ghazali, 4 months, along with her father Ahmad Ramadan al-Ghazali, 31, and her mother Iman Abdullah Usrof, 30.

The Ministry of Health also announced that two people were killed in a bombardment targeting agricultural land behind Ibrahim al-Maqadma Mosque in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Two Palestinians were killed in that airstrike, they were identified as Mohammad Abdul Nabi Abu Armaneh, 30, and Mahmoud Samir Abu Armanah, 27.

Both were taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir Al-Balah .

Israeli airstrikes destroyed the internal security building inside the governor’s palace west of Gaza City, following the destruction of another house belonging to the Mashtah family in central Gaza and a house belonging to the Abu Qamar family in al-Sina’a Street in Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in the west of Gaza City.

Earlier, Israeli planes carried out the first extrajudicial assassination in the current escalation by shelling a car belonging to Hamed al-Khudari, 34. He was targeted allegedly for transporting money from Iran to Gaza. Two other Palestinian fighters were killed in a separate airstrike around the same time.

In the official statistics, the Ministry of Health said that 10 people have been killed on Sunday and more than 95 people were injured as a result of the ongoing Israeli escalation for the second day in the Gaza Strip.

Ma’an News reported that four Palestinians were wounded when Israeli artillery shelled the house of the Awad family in al-Fakhari area east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Two civilians were wounded by shrapnel targeting civilians east of Al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza.Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and an iron workshop belonging to the Abu Zour family in the Zeitoun neighborhood south of Gaza City.

Maria was from the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Bayan Abu Khammash

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August 9, 2018: Bayan Abu Khammash, 18 months old, was killed along with her nine-months-pregnant mother when the Israeli airforce dropped a bomb on their home.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli army missiles killed a pregnant Palestinian mother, and her infant daughter, 18 months of age, in central Gaza. The mother was nine months pregnant.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, has confirmed that the soldiers killed a pregnant woman, identified as Enas Mohammad Abu Khammash, 23, and her child Bayan Abu Khammash, 18 months, in their home in al-Ja’farawi area, Deir al-Balah, in Gaza’s Central District.

He added that the bombardment also caused moderate wounds to Enas’s husband, Mohammad Khammash.

Furthermore, the soldiers injured at least twelve Palestinians in ongoing Israeli bombardment of several parts of the Gaza Strip, and earlier killed one Palestinian, identified as Ali al-Ghandour, 30.

In addition, the Israeli Air Force fired three missiles at a concrete factory, and three other missiles into a nearby area, northwest of Gaza city.

Media sources in Gaza said Israeli missiles also struck sites, run by armed resistance groups, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, while more missiles were fired from drones into sites in the Sudaniyya area, northwest of Gaza city, and Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.

Also on Wednesday, the army fired several missiles into various areas of the Gaza Strip, including a building in the Sudaniyya area of northern Gaza, which was first struck by three missiles, followed by an additional six missiles, just minutes later.

The Israeli army said it targeted several Hamas centers in Gaza, reportedly when six Israelis were injured in the Sderot settlement, in the Negev, “after eight shells were fired from Gaza”.

Israeli Ynet News said that one Israeli man, aged 23, was injured by shrapnel in his leg, and added that “two pregnant women in addition to a man, 42 years of age, were treated for shock,” before being moved to Barzilai Hospital.

It alleged that Hamas fighters fired live rounds at “civil engineering equipment”, used as part of a “anti-tunnel barrier’” which is being built along the barrier with Gaza, causing damage, before the army fire a tank shell at a Hamas post.

Hamas said its fighters fired shells into nearby army posts, in retaliation to Israeli bombardment of the coastal region, and added that it has no Interest in escalation.

Hamas leaders said that they are holding talks with Egypt, to restore calm to the region, and to avoid a potentially serious military escalation.

For its part, the Israeli army said it raised the alert level along the border with Gaza, after noticing that Hamas fighters were evacuated from their posts along the border, a move that Hamas said was meant to ensure their safety, and avoid further escalation, while the army considered it as part of preparation for potential escalation.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army killed two Hamas fighters, identified as Ahmad Abdullah Morjan, 23, and Abdul-Hafeth Mohammad Seelawi, 23, in northern Gaza.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued a statement denouncing the Israeli assassination of two of its fighters, in northern Gaza, and holding Israel accountable for any future escalation.

It stated that the two fighters were part of a military training in “Asqalan” center, one of its training locations in northern Gaza, and that many Palestinians, including political leaders of Hamas, were in attendance.

Bayan was from al-Ja’farawi area, in Deir al-Balah, in Gaza’s Central District. Source: IMEMC