The two-month old girl and her parents were killed during an Israeli airstrike on the area with neighbours speaking of their horror as Palestinians gathered to pray over their bodies
A baby girl and her parents have been killed in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, hospital officials and witnesses said. The baby, who is said to have been two months old, was wrapped in blue as she was placed on top of her parents after the bombing as Palestinians stood over them and prayed.
Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and the girl were all killed in their tent in the crowded Muwasi area. “Two and a half months, what has she done?” neighbour Fathi Shubeir asked. “They are civilians in an area designated safe.”
It comes as Israel’s military said it is dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and is taking precautions not to harm civilians. The country said it will not be commenting on the strike without more details.
Muwasi is one of the most heavily populated areas in Gaza and is where Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country plans to widen its military offensive.
The mobilisation of the country’s forces is expected to take weeks, and Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages from the October 7, 2023, attack which sparked the war.
Families of the hostages have said they fear the offensive further endangers the 50 remaining people in Gaza, just 20 of them thought to be alive. They, and other Israelis, were horrified when they saw the recent videos showing the hostages, speaking under duress, pleading for help and food.
A group representing the families of the hostages in Gaza held by Hamas has urged the people of Israel into the streets on Sunday. The group said in a statement: “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.”
The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are now at their highest since the war began with Palestinians drinking contaminated water as disease spreads.
A further 11 deaths linked to malnutrition have occurred in the last 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Saturday, with one child among the 11. The total malnutrition-related deaths during the war has now reached 251.
The UN and partners said getting aid into the territory of two million people, and then onto distribution points, continues to be highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry people.
At least 1,760 people were killed seeking aid between May 27 and August 13, the UN human rights office said. 766 are said to have been killed along routes of supply convoys and 994 in the vicinity of “non-UN militarised sites” – a term used to reference the Israeli-backed and US supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which has been the primary distributor of aid in Gaza since May.
The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 61,897 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.