GazaHerald – An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed four members of the family of Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, after their home in the Al-Shati al-Shamali area northwest of Gaza City was struck. The dead included Dr. Abu Salmiya’s brother and two of his sons. Images from the hospital showed the director weeping over their bodies.
The attack came during one of the deadliest days of the current escalation, with 44 Palestinians killed since dawn, including 38 in Gaza City, as Israel widened its military campaign.
Medical sources confirmed that nine people, mostly children, were killed when Israeli aircraft bombed the Al-Jamla family home in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood.
In central Gaza, one Palestinian was killed and ten others injured east of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, while near Rafah, another was killed and several wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for aid.
The Israeli army has declared Gaza City a primary target, intensifying bombardments with what it described as “extreme and unprecedented force.” Under directives from Prime Minister Netanyahu, entire districts have been subjected to fire belts and explosive charges intended to depopulate them.
At dawn, heavy airstrikes pounded Tal al-Hawa and al-Sabra, southwest of Gaza City, where homes and public facilities were reduced to rubble. Local sources reported that ten explosive-laden vehicles were detonated in the Tal al-Hawa area, deepening the destruction.
According to Palestinian officials, the focus on Gaza City is part of a systematic campaign to make the area uninhabitable and to forcibly evacuate its residents. The strikes have left tens of thousands without homes, while municipal authorities warn of a near-total collapse of services and infrastructure.
