Four Palestinian civilians were killed on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes targeting Al-Nuseirat refugee camp and Khan Younis in the central and southern Gaza Strip, while several others were injured with varying degrees of wounds.
Medical sources reported that three of the victims belonged to the same family: Kamel Ayash, his wife Halima, and their son Ahmad, who were killed when Israeli forces struck a gathering of civilians in the Al-Sawarha area, west of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp.
In a separate case, Wafi Talal Ibrahim Al-Desouki died from wounds he had sustained in a previous Israeli airstrike on 30 January.
With these deaths, the total number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire that entered into force on 11 October has risen to 663, while the number of injured has exceeded 1,754. Additionally, 756 bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble, reflecting the scale of destruction and the worsening humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip.
The targeting of civilians—particularly families and children in populated areas—constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits attacks against civilians and obliges occupying forces to take all necessary precautions to protect civilian populations in occupied territories.
Direct attacks on family gatherings also contravene the Geneva Conventions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which require the protection of children from violence and abuse. Such acts may also fall within the scope of collective punishment, prohibited under international law when innocent individuals are harmed due to family or community association.
The continued pattern of such violations deepens the suffering of civilians, complicates prospects for justice and accountability, and underscores the urgent need for international intervention to ensure the protection of civilians in Gaza.
