Three separate Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip resulted in at least 12 Palestinian deaths, according to medical personnel in the territory. One strike targeted an apartment building in the western al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, killing a family of six. The deceased included a man identified as Firas al-Masri, his wife Salsabeel, and their four children. Video footage captured the apartment engulfed in flames following the nighttime strike. The Israeli military stated that the operation targeted a Hamas operative and indicated it was still assessing the results of the attack.
Two additional strikes occurred on Tuesday. An air strike on a residential home in the al-Samar area of central Gaza City killed four people, according to Palestinian media citing medical sources. A separate drone strike on a vehicle in the al-Zahra area south of Gaza City resulted in two deaths. The Israeli military has not yet provided comments regarding these latter two operations.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 1,168 Palestinians have died in Israeli military operations since a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect last October. The same period saw four Israeli soldiers killed in Palestinian attacks within Gaza. The United Nations human rights office issued a statement on Tuesday condemning what it characterized as an intensification of Israeli military operations. Between July 13 and 20, the UN documented at least 57 Palestinian deaths, including six children and eight women, resulting from strikes on residential structures, a displacement camp, and other populated locations. The UN spokesman noted that 34 of those fatalities occurred in areas outside territory controlled by Israeli forces.
Israeli military officials have recently announced operations targeting members of Palestinian armed groups allegedly involved in the October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken. Israel subsequently launched an extensive military campaign in Gaza that has resulted in over 73,290 deaths according to the territory’s health ministry.