An Israeli airstrike killed a family of six in Gaza City on Tuesday after their home was set ablaze, Palestinian health officials said, in the latest deadly attack despite a U.S. backed ceasefire that has been in place for more than nine months.
The strike hit a house in the Sabra neighbourhood, killing Firas Al Masri, his wife Salsabeel, and their four children three daughters and a son. Rescue workers battled flames engulfing the home before recovering the bodies, while neighbours searched through the rubble for survivors.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the strike, saying it had targeted a Hamas militant, adding that it was reviewing the outcome of the operation. The military did not immediately provide further details on the civilian casualties reported by Palestinian medics.
The attack comes as Israeli forces continue near daily strikes across Gaza despite the ceasefire agreed in October 2025. Israel says it is targeting militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, while Palestinian health officials say more than 1,150 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the truce took effect. Hamas does not routinely disclose the number of its fighters killed.
The war began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas led attack on southern Israel, which Israeli authorities say killed about 1,200 people and saw around 250 hostages taken into Gaza. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and displaced most of the enclave’s population.
International mediators, including the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, continue efforts to preserve the ceasefire and advance negotiations on hostage releases and a permanent end to the conflict, though progress has remained limited.
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