On a day of intensified clashes in the Gaza Strip, a devastating Israeli airstrike struck a residential building in Rafah, a city in the southern part of Gaza near the Egypt border. The strike resulted in the deaths of at least 18 Palestinians, including nine children, prompting renewed concerns about civilian harm amid ongoing hostilities that have drawn sharp international attention and urgent calls for restraint from multiple global bodies.
Reports gathered by Filastin, a Palestinian daily linked to Hamas, identified the nine minors who perished as aged between two and nine years old in the attack on the Abū Nuqīra family residence. Humanitarian observers stressed the profound impact on families already enduring repeated cycles of violence, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of children in conflict zones and the broader human toll of the fighting in southern Gaza.
As of this writing, Israeli authorities had not issued formal comments on this particular incident. The strike came hours after the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urging Israel to comply. The resolution marked a historic moment in the council’s ability to coalesce around language seeking a halt to hostilities since the conflict began, a development welcomed by some international actors while met with skepticism by others who emphasized the need for durable accountability and reliable humanitarian access.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military released a concise operational briefing summarizing actions across Gaza over the previous 24 hours. The update described about 60 strikes targeting various locations, including tunnels and military facilities, and confirmed continued deployment in the Al Shifa hospital neighborhood of Gaza City. The military stated that several suspected militants were neutralized in the hospital vicinity and that weapons were recovered. The briefing also indicated ongoing efforts against Hamas in other parts of the territory, signaling a broad and persistent campaign as hostilities persist on multiple fronts.
The current escalation traces back to October 7 when Hamas conducted attacks that resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 240 hostages. Since then, Palestinian health authorities in Gaza have reported a rising death toll, with totals surpassing 32,300. Additional fatalities—more than 420—have been linked to security operations and related violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, illustrating the geographic breadth and multifaceted nature of the crisis. International observers have repeatedly urged accountability, unhindered humanitarian access, and concrete steps to protect civilians, even as political and security dynamics in the region remain highly volatile. [citation: Filastin; United Nations Security Council statements; Israeli military briefings; Palestinian Health Ministry updates]