Israeli airstrike kills Gaza family as ceasefire talks falter

An Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in Deir Al-Balah killed Omar Abu Qassem, his wife Asma and their six-year-old daughter Habeeba, leaving their three-year-old son Sami injured.

Friends and relatives later gathered at Al-Aqsa Hospital to say goodbye to the three bodies before burial. Abu Anas Shahin, a relative, looked to the surviving child and asked, “Where is the mercy? Where is the humanity?”

The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hamas militant. The attack came as talks mediated by Egypt, Turkey and Qatar sought to move the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan into its second phase. The remaining issues include Hamas disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of an international security force and a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee that would take power from Hamas. Hamas and other Gaza armed factions attended the Cairo talks, while Fatah was absent, and disarmament remained the central point of contention.

More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since the October ceasefire took effect, and four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period. UNICEF's November 2025 situation report put the number of children in Gaza who had lost one or both parents at more than 58,000, with about 1.1 million children still needing child protection services and mental health and psychosocial support, and more than 16,500 patients, including 4,000 children, requiring medical evacuation.

The strike hit near Al-Baraka Roundabout west of Deir al-Balah. The same day, shelling hit northeast of the Al-Bureij refugee camp, demolitions continued in southern Khan Yunis and drone-dropped explosives hit near Bani Suheila.