Israeli Airstrike Triggers Tragic Loss: Six Family Members Killed in Gaza City

Sun Sep 06 2026 12:17:20 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

An Israeli air raid on a Gaza City home killed six, sparking UN condemnation and raising concerns over civilian safety after nine months of ceasefire.

An Israeli drone fired a missile into a family apartment in the western al‑Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, setting the building on fire and killing six members of one household – the mother, father, three daughters and the youngest son. Medics say the strike was aimed at a Hamas operative and that the home was likely unmarked. Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 1,168 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, while UN human rights officials fear war‑crimes that violate humanitarian law. The incident highlights ongoing tensions as Israel intensifies attacks on armed groups, and the UN warns that “none of Gaza is safe” after nine months of ceasefire, citing rising civilian casualties both within and outside the contested zone. Israel claims it targets militants; however, the details remain unclear. The Gaza health ministry suggests the civilian toll is enormous, with over 73,290 casualties in the territory’s recent military campaign. This event is part of a broader pattern of strikes in populated areas where the risk to civilians remains high and international scrutiny grows stronger.

Israeli air strike in Gaza City kills family of six, medics say

Relative carries the body of Palestinian girl Amira al-Masri, who was killed along with her parents and three of her siblings in an Israeli strike on their home in Gaza City

An Israeli air strike has killed six members of one family in Gaza City, local medics report.

Video footage released by local doctors shows the family’s apartment on fire overnight in the western al‑Sabra neighbourhood. The brother of Firas al‑Masri told the BBC he had been burned to death alongside his wife, Salsabeel, and their three daughters—Faryal, Salma, Amira—and son, Naim.

The Israeli military said the target was a Hamas operative and that it was still investigating the outcome of the attack. The strike has spurred criticism from Gaza’s health ministry and international bodies.

Gaza’s Hamas‑run health ministry says at least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire was signed last October. An additional four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks over the same period.

The UN’s human rights office condemned the recent surge in Israeli military attacks in Gaza following Tuesday’s strike. “Nine months after the announcement of a ceasefire, still, nowhere is safe for Palestinians in Gaza,” the UN spokesperson, Thameen Al‑Kheetan, said.

He warned that the killing of civilians “raises concerns of continuing violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes in Gaza.”

Israel has announced a series of attacks on Palestinian armed groups tied to the Hamas‑led assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 captured. Israel’s response unleashed a massive military campaign that has officially killed over 73,290 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.