An Israeli airstrike leveled a house in Gaza City early Saturday, killing 12 members of the Al-Ghoula family, Palestinian medics reported.
This attack contributed to a death toll of 62 Palestinians over the past 24 hours, as efforts to broker a ceasefire intensified in Qatar.
The airstrike destroyed the family’s home, leaving neighbors searching the rubble for survivors. Among the dead were several children, medics confirmed.
“At about 2 a.m., we were woken up by the sound of a huge explosion,” said Ahmed Ayyan, a neighbor. “Most of them are women and children… all civilians.”
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military regarding the incident.
Israeli strikes continued throughout Gaza on Friday and Saturday, with medics reporting three killed in a car east of Deir Al-Balah. The Gaza health ministry stated the death toll since October 2023 has reached 45,717.
Palestinians gather around a car hit in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2025. Reuters
Israel maintains its campaign, launched after the October 7 Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, aims to eradicate Hamas.
In Beit Hanoun, the Israeli military claimed to have destroyed a Hamas military complex.
Ceasefire push
As violence surged, Israeli mediators traveled to Qatar for ceasefire talks brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.
The push for a ceasefire comes ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Mediators hope to finalize an agreement to halt the 15-month conflict and facilitate the return of Israeli hostages.
The ongoing violence has devastated Gaza, displacing most of its population and destroying large parts of the enclave.
