JERUSALEM – On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza resulted in the death of a baby girl and her parents, according to officials at Nasser hospital and eyewitnesses. Meanwhile, families of hostages are advocating for a “nationwide day of stoppage” in Israel, signaling increasing frustration with the ongoing 22-month conflict.
The infant’s body, enveloped in a blue cloth, was laid atop her parents as Palestinians held prayers for them. Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and their daughter perished in their tent located in the densely populated Muwasi region.
“Two and a half months, what has she done?” questioned neighbor Fathi Shubeir, perspiring in the shattered region where temperatures soared beyond 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). “They are civilians in an area marked as safe.”
The Israeli military stated its mission is to dismantle Hamas’ military operations while striving to avoid civilian casualties. However, it mentioned it couldn’t provide comments on the specific strike without further information.
Muwasi is among the densely populated districts in Gaza where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated an expansion of Israel’s upcoming military action. The deployment is anticipated to unfold over several weeks, possibly serving as leverage to compel Hamas to release more captives taken during its assault on October 7, 2023, which ignited the conflict.
Families of those taken hostage are anxious that the looming offensive heightens the danger for the 50 captives still in Gaza, with only about 20 believed to be alive. Disturbed by recent videos showing frail hostages speaking under duress and begging for assistance and nourishment, Israelis share the hostages’ families’ concerns.
A group representing the families has 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.
The United Nations is warning that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Palestinians are drinking contaminated water as diseases spread, while some Israeli leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza.
Another 11 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said Saturday, with one child was among them. That brings malnutrition-related deaths during the war to 251.
The U.N. and partners say getting aid into the territory of over 2 million people, and then on to distribution points, remains highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry Palestinians.
The U.N. human rights office says at least 1,760 people were killed while seeking aid between May 27 and Wednesday. It says 766 were killed along routes of supply convoys and 994 in the vicinity of “non-U.N. militarized sites,” a reference to the Israeli-backed and U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which since May has been the primary distributor of aid in Gaza.
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.
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