Baby Ella Osama Abu Dagga was pictured lying in a van today after she was pulled alive from the rubble of her home after an Israeli strike killed her brother and parents in Khan Younis, Gaza
Just days old, little Ella holds a hand to her mouth in comfort after being pulled from rubble. She survived an Israeli airstrike in war-torn Gaza, but her parents and brother were not so lucky. The trio died in the assault in Khan Younis, in the stricken enclave, as attacks have ramped up despite an earlier ceasefire being agreed. Ella Osama Abu Dagga, born only 25 days ago, was pictured lying in a van today after the strike.
It comes as Israeli strikes killed at least 85 Palestinians in Gaza overnight and into Thursday, according to local health officials. Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel – In the first such attack since the latter ended their ceasefire with a surprise attack on Tuesday.
The Israeli military has also restored a blockade in the north of the enclave, including Gaza City, that it had maintained for most of the conflict. It warned residents against using the territory’s main highway to enter or leave the north – saying only passage to the south would be allowed on the coastal road.
READ MORE: Israel breaks Gaza ceasefire as ‘hell’ unleashed in horror strikes with ‘blood everywhere’READ MORE: ‘Israel airstrike’ kills UN worker in Gaza after attack on major headquarters
Meanwhile, Israel also announced an additional ground operation in northern Gaza near the already largely destroyed town of Beit Lahiya, where strikes killed dozens over the past 24 hours. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to what remains of their homes in the north of Gaza after a ceasefire took hold in January.
But Israel resumed heavy strikes across the strip on Tuesday, shattering a truce that had halted the war and facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages. Israel blamed the renewed fighting on Hamas because the militant group rejected a new proposal departing from their signed agreement.
Donald Trump ’s US administration, which took credit for helping to broker the ceasefire, has voiced full support for Israel. More than 400 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday alone, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
One of the strikes on Gaza early on Thursday hit the Abu Daqa family’s home in Abasan al-Kabira, a village just outside of Khan Younis, near the border with Israel. It was inside an area the Israeli military had ordered be evacuated earlier this week, encompassing most of eastern Gaza.
The strike killed at least 16 people, mostly women and children, according to the nearby European Hospital, which received the dead. Those killed included a dad and his seven children, as well as the parents and brother of a month-old baby who survived along with her grandparents. “Another tough night,” said Hani Awad, who was helping rescuers search for more survivors in the rubble. “The house collapsed over the people’s heads.”
The war began when Hamas stormed into southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 49,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.