Intensified Israeli air strikes wiping out entire families in besieged Gaza, survivors say

Bombings kill scores in Khan Younis and other southern areas, in what Amnesty International described as 'war crimes'

At least 13 members of the Shawa family were killed while eight others were still missing after an Israeli air strike destroyed their home. EPA

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An Israeli air strike killed 26 Palestinians sheltering in a house in Khan Younis late on Tuesday as Israeli warplanes increased the number of attacks on Gaza.

Another strike brought down several residential buildings in the south of Gaza, with health officials in the enclave estimating that at least 100 people were killed overnight.

"They are killing us, we are civilians and they are killing us, what can we say? There's so many young people and children who are missing, why is this happening to us?" Khalel Madey, who saw the strikes, told The National.

In the past week, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have fled to the south to seek refuge after Israel said it would attack the north in an attempt to "wipe out Hamas fighters".

Images and videos circulating on social media showed buildings reduced to rubble, injured civilians being rushed to hospitals and bodies being pulled out from the wreckage.

Gaza's Health Ministry said on Wednesday that at least 6,546 Palestinians had been killed and 17,439 others wounded since October 7.

In the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids over the same period.

"We were sitting in the house and all of a sudden I see light and I started looking for my family. Some of them are severely injured – there are about 37 people killed," said Mustafa, 20, from Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza.

"I ran out of the door when the strike hit us."

Shelling of Gaza has wiped out entire families, according to Amnesty International.

Palestinians check the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Israeli soldiers and military vehicles near the border with Gaza. EPA

Palestinians injured in Israeli air raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

Protesters call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attack. AFP

The protest was held near the headquarters of the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv. AFP

Smoke and flames rise from buildings after an Israeli strike on Gaza City. AFP

Destruction in Gaza City after an Israeli air strike. AFP

A wounded Palestinian is taken into Al Shifa hospital after Israeli air strikes on Gaza City. AP

Israelis at a cemetery in Holon during a funeral take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. AP

Posters of hostages abducted by Hamas form part of an installation consisting of 224 light pillars erected by the Jerusalem municipality outside Teddy Stadium. AFP

Supporters of Palestine hold a rally in New York's financial district to demand that American financial institutions stop financing weapons manufacturing. AFP

Army rescue crews assess the damage after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a building in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel. Getty Images

Israeli strikes as seen from a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians. Reuters

Israeli armoured vehicles take part in an operation, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, at a location given as the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian man is comforted as he mourns the death of his daughter and his wife, who were killed by Israeli strikes. Reuters

Satellite view of damaged areas in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza as a result of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Reuters

Beit Hanoun was hit by Israeli missiles. Reuters

Two brothers on a stretcher after being rescued from beneath the rubble of a destroyed area in Gaza. EPA

Israeli security forces gather along a cordoned-off street where an apartment building was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza, in Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv. AFP

Rescuers in front of an apartment building hit by a rocket in the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. AFP

Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers handle humanitarian aid bound for Gaza at a warehouse in Arish, Egypt. EPA

Men lower one of the coffins during the funeral of British-Israelis Lianne Sharabi and her daughters Noiya Sharabi, 16, and Yahel Sharabi, 13, in Kfar Harif, Israel. EPA

An Israeli soldier in a ruined house in the kibbutz of Beeri, near the border with Gaza. EPA

The aftermath of wide-scale strikes, which Israel says struck Hamas emergency operational apparatus, including war rooms, infrastructure and military headquarters, in Gaza. Reuters

Palestinians search for casualties after Israeli attacks on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Rescuers look for casualties in Khan Younis. Reuters

Palestinian Ali Daba and his wife have separated their children and given them bracelets to help identify them in case they are killed in Israeli strikes. Their daughter shows her bracelet at their shelter in Khan Younis. Reuters

In Tel Aviv, teddy bears with their eyes covered and signs of injury go on show to highlight the young children and babies missing, believed to be being held by Hamas. Getty

Palestinians near the rubble of a building following overnight Israeli strikes on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society distribute aid in Deir Al Balah, in the Gaza Strip. Reuters

Pro-Israel, left, and pro-Palestine protesters face off during a demonstration in reaction to the Gaza conflict, in central Atlanta, Georgia. EPA

Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir Jan who was taken hostage by Hamas while attending the Nova festival in Israel, at the family's home in Or Yehuda. Reuters

A soldier puts on protective gear in Ramle, Israel, as he prepares to identify those killed by Hamas during the October 7 attack. Getty Images

Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes arrive at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, centre, speaks with the father of one of the hostages held by Hamas, before a UN Security Council meeting in New York. EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attend a meeting in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. EPA

Survivors of Israel's bombardment of Gaza being treated at a trauma ward at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. AFP

Smoke rises after an air strike on Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. Reuters

A woman holds placards identifying one of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas during a demonstration in Tel Aviv. AFP

Nader Al Kord, who lost 13 members of his family in an Israeli air strike on Monday, told The National that the majority of his relatives were killed in their home.

“They thought it was safe but suddenly they are under rubble,” he said.

Day and night bombardments across the Strip have crushed families beneath residential buildings.

Health officials said hundreds of Palestinian were killed in the past day and dozens of hospitals and medical clinics have closed due to damage and lack of power.

It’s a disaster when you lose dozens of members of your family. Who will compensate for my loss?

Nader Al Kord,
Gaza resident

“It’s a disaster when you lose dozens of members of your family. Who will compensate for my loss?”, said Mr Al Kord, who lives in Nussirate neighbourhood in the centre of Gaza.

The devastating air bombardment continued overnight as Israeli jets hit sites across Gaza, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.

The death toll is the worst yet in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with more than 6,500 killed in less than two weeks.

The continued siege on Gaza has had catastrophic humanitarian consequences for civilians, with Israeli forces expected to launch a ground offensive any day.

“The world doesn’t recognise us, this is what I feel, if they see us then they will stop what is happening,” Nabil Omara, from Shijaia in Gaza city, told The National.

Mr Omara left his building and fled to safety only to have the house he was sheltering in struck by an Israeli bomb.

“The house was targeted with my family, including four sons, their wives and children, the majority of them are still under the rubble,” he said.

Only six of the 22 children seeking safety from the bombardment managed to survive the strike, he said.