Gaza

Four days old twin sisters Asser and Ayssel lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. At the time, their father, Mohammed Abu al-Qumsan, was at a local government office registering their births.

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Mohammed received a devastating call from his neighbours informing him that his home had been bombed. The airstrike tragically resulted in the deaths of his infant children, his wife, and the twins' grandmother.

“I don’t know what happened,” Mohammed said in shock. “I am told it was a shell that hit the house,” he added, “I didn’t even have the time to celebrate them.”

According to Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, 115 infants have been born and then killed during the ongoing conflict.

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Israel asserts that it makes efforts to avoid civilian casualties, placing the blame on Hamas for operating within dense residential areas and using civilian buildings for shelter.

It may be mentioned here, that in recent weeks, several shelters in Gaza have also been targeted. On Saturday (Aug 10), an airstrike hit a school building in Gaza City where displaced Palestinians were taking refuge, killing more than 70 people, according to the director of a local hospital.

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However, the Israeli military claimed the school was being used as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility. Hamas has denied such claims and also the number of casualties is disputed.

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The ongoing conflict was triggered by a deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, in which about 1,200 people were killed, and 250 were taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive on Gaza, which has since claimed more than 39,790 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

(With inputs from agencies)