Summary
- Israeli air strike hits southern Gaza al-Mawasi area.
- The attack kills the baby girl and her parents.
- Incident reported by Nasser Hospital officials.
- Occurs amid Israel’s plan to escalate the offensive.
- Civilian casualties rise as violence intensifies.
In the tented camp in southern Gaza, Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and their infant daughter were slain on Saturday. Early in the conflict, Israel declared al-Mawasi a "humanitarian" or "safe" zone, but it has since been attacked on numerous occasions.
Days prior to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the military had been authorized to
"dismantle" what he said were the two last Hamas strongholds:
al-Mawasi, located farther to the south, and Gaza City, located in the north.
The family's neighbor, Fathi Shubeir, told The Associated Press that the heavily populated al-Mawasi neighborhood was home to displaced civilians.
"Two and a half months, what has she done?"
he asked, referring to the infant daughter.
Since October 2023, Israel's war on Gaza has
claimed the lives of at least 61,827 individuals. According to Gaza's Health
Ministry, 251 individuals have died from malnutrition thus far.
The government reported on Saturday that 11
individuals, including a toddler, had died from starvation in the last 24
hours.
Malnutrition and severe medication shortages
were threatening the lives of over 200 patients at Gaza City's al-Shifa
Hospital.
In the face of constant Israeli shelling, the
hospital was overrun with injured patients, according to director Mohammed Abu
Salmiya, and surgeons were having to perform more amputations because they were
unable to stop the wounds from becoming infected.
He said that the socioeconomic structure of Gaza was shattered by Israel's invasion, leaving the Palestinians there "totally dependent on humanitarian aid."
"A very limited amount, which is only to keep the people alive [at a] minimum level,"
he continued, is what is
entering the nation.
Malnutrition and famine in Gaza are at their
greatest levels since the start of the conflict, the UN has warned.
Videos of their malnourished relatives begging
for food and assistance were recently released, shocking the families of 50
Israeli prisoners still detained in Gaza.
A group representing the families urged Israelis into the streets on Sunday.
“Across the country, hundreds of citizen-led initiatives will pause daily life and join the most just and moral struggle: the struggle to bring all 50 hostages home,”
it said in a statement.
Netanyahu has rejected criticism that his plan to widen the military offensive would endanger the lives of the remaining captives. The mobilisation of forces is expected to take weeks, and the Israeli prime minister has defended his decision, saying he had “no choice” but to attack Hamas in Gaza.
How does the attack in al-Mawasi compare to previous Israeli strikes in Gaza?
Al-Mawasi, despite being designated by Israel as
a "humanitarian" or "safe" zone for displaced Palestinians,
has been hit multiple times in previous attacks. Earlier airstrikes on
al-Mawasi have killed entire families and destroyed homes, causing significant
civilian casualties even in areas marked as safe by the IDF.
Past strikes on al-Mawasi have resulted in
dozens of deaths, including women, children, and elderly civilians. For
example, a major attack in September 2024 killed at least 19 to 40 people in a
tent encampment housing displaced families. The recent strike killing the baby
and her parents continues this trend of civilian harm.
Israeli military officials routinely justify the
strikes by claiming they target Hamas military leaders or infrastructure.