Relatives die as they made meal
A ROCKET killed 36 members of the same family as they were about to enjoy a meal together.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry claimed the relatives were among more than 100 people slaughtered in Israeli air strikes yesterday.
TV footage showed bodies spread out in a hospital courtyard and then stacked on a truck to be driven to a cemetery.
Because there were not enough body bags, some – including at least two children – were wrapped in white cloth stained with blood.
Mohammed al-tabatibi, 19, whose left hand was injured in the attack, said: “This is my mother, this is my father, this is my aunt, and these are my brothers.
“They bombed the house while we were in it. My mother and my aunt were preparing the suhoor food. They were all martyred.”
The family had already been forced to flee their homes because of Israeli bombings and were staying in Nuseirat refugee camp.
They were preparing a pre-fasting meal – to be eaten before dawn during Ramadan – when the rocket hit. Hamas blamed Israel for the strike, while the Israeli military said it was looking into the incident.
Ceasefire talks between the two sides will resume in Qatar today. But Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has already approved plans for an assault on Rafah, which is sheltering more than a million refugees.
Meanwhile, the first sea delivery of desperately needed aid arrived in Gaza yesterday.
Spanish charity Open Arms teamed up with US charity, World Central Kitchen, to send a ship carrying 200 tonnes of food, such as beans, carrots, tuna, chickpeas, canned corn, rice, flour, oil, salt and dates.
Gaza has no functioning port so a temporary jetty has had to be built by World Central Kitchen’s team. The US has announced plans for a floating dock to boost aid deliveries.
Much of Gaza has been devastated by Israeli military operations since Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages.
More than 31,400 people have been killed in Gaza so far.