‘There is ‌no safe place’: Israeli attack kills family of six in Gaza

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkMourners weep next to the body of one of the Palestinians killed in an Israeli air strike on an apartment in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City [AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and ReutersPublished On 21 Jul 202621 Jul 2026An Israeli air strike has killed a man, his wife and their four children in Gaza City in the latest of Israel’s frequent deadly attacks on Palestinians in the devastated enclave, which have continued despite a US-backed “ceasefire” signed more than nine months ago.The strike hit the al-Masri family home in the Sabra neighbourhood on Tuesday, killing Firas and Salsabeel al-Masri and their three daughters and son as the family was sleeping, health officials said.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4MSF demands Israel release detained Palestinian healthcare workerslist 2 of 4‘We just want to live’: Palestinians in Gaza react to Hamas electionlist 3 of 4Five Palestinians killed in fire after Israeli attack in Gazalist 4 of 4Can AI systems make moral decisions in war?end of listThe deaths add to a toll of more than 1,150 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli strikes since the “ceasefire” was agreed. The truce has halted full-scale fighting but not the near-daily Israeli strikes that have continued since.The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying it was targeting a Hamas member and was still looking into the results of the attack. A video obtained by the Reuters news agency showed rescue workers struggling to put out fires in the house and bring out bodies in white shrouds.Firas al-Masri’s father, Abu Yusuf al-Masri, ‌told Reuters the explosion took place as the family was asleep.“We were unable to save our grandchildren and children from the flames and the devastation. Around five or six were martyred, most of them children and women, without mercy and without any prior warning,” he said, standing outside the family house.“There is no relative calm, and there is no safe place at all,” the grey-bearded man added.Mediators – including Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and the United States – have been trying to advance US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the conflict in Gaza, which calls for Hamas’s disarmament and Israeli withdrawals, but there has been little sign of progress.The United Nations has condemned the ongoing Israeli strikes on Gaza.“Nine months after the announcement of a ceasefire, still nowhere is safe for Palestinians in Gaza,” UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.Israeli attacks have killed “at least 57 Palestinians, including six children and eight women,” from July 13 to 20, he said. The figures did not include the al-Masri family.“The killing of civilians in these attacks raises concerns of continuing violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes in Gaza,” Al-Kheetan said.“Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians is a war crime.”