An Israeli airstrike killed Omar Abu Qassem, his wife Asma, and their daughter Habeeba in Deir Al-Balah on Wednesday, leaving their three-year-old son Sami as the sole survivor with injuries. The strike hit an apartment building in central Gaza, and the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant. Friends and relatives gathered at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, where they paid farewell to the three white-shrouded bodies before burying them after special prayers.
Abu Anas Shahin, a relative, told Reuters: "The child is the lone survivor. How (to live) without a father, without a mother? What kind of cruelty is this that the people of Palestine, the people of Gaza, are enduring?" He added: "Where is the mercy? Where is the humanity?" United Nations figures as of November 2025 said more than 58,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents.
Ceasefire That Hasn't Stopped the Killing
The deaths add to a toll of more than 1,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, according to health officials in the enclave. The truce halted major fighting, but has failed to stop near-daily Israeli strikes. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period. In Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City, an Israeli airstrike killed one person, medics said. The Israeli military didn't immediately comment on that incident.
Hamas doesn't usually disclose information about its fatalities. The original conflict began in the third year of the conflict when Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people during their cross-border attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. The Gazan health ministry said Israel's subsequent offensive on the strip killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.
Stalled Peace Talks in Cairo
The latest violence came as Hamas leaders wrapped up another round of truce talks in Cairo on Tuesday. The discussions were mediated by Egypt, Turkey and Qatar and were aimed at implementing the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan. Sources close to the talks said the discussions included the disarmament of Hamas and the Israeli military's withdrawal from the strip, but there had been little progress amid deep distrust between the two sides.
The second phase also includes allowing a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee to assume power from Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, and the start of the reconstruction of Gaza, which has been devastated by the war. Five countries — Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania — have committed to providing troops to the U.S.-backed International Stabilization Force, but none have yet been deployed as negotiations between Trump's Board of Peace and Hamas have stalled for months.
Obstacles to Implementation
Speaking at an aid donor meeting in Brussels on Monday, Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, said he would be visiting Morocco on Tuesday to "sign Morocco's contribution to the International Stabilization Force, and soon we hope to see them on the ground undertaking their tasks." Mladenov said the October ceasefire was holding but "imperfectly" with violations continuing, and said Hamas has yet to agree to what he called a "roadmap" for negotiations.
Hamas official Basem Naim accused Mladenov of supporting Israel's position in negotiations and failing to hold the country accountable for violating the ceasefire and not upholding the terms of the first phase of the Trump plan. The plan called for Israel to withdraw its troops to a demarcated "yellow" line, but Israel has been slowly moving its troops forward and now effectively occupies more than 60% of the strip. Hamas has repeatedly said that it cannot advance to the second phase of the peace plan until the terms of the first phase are fulfilled.
Humanitarian Catastrophe Continues
Nearly all of Gaza's 2 million people, most of whom have been displaced several times, now live on a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control. The conditions reflect a humanitarian catastrophe that continues despite the ceasefire's stated goals of restoring stability and beginning reconstruction.
Why This Matters:
The death of the Abu Qassem family illustrates the failure of October's ceasefire to protect Palestinian civilians from continued airstrikes. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, the vast majority of them civilians, while reconstruction hasn't begun and 2 million people remain displaced in makeshift shelters. The Trump peace plan's second phase — which would bring international forces, begin rebuilding, and transfer governance from Hamas — remains stalled as Israel occupies more than 60% of Gaza despite commitments to withdraw. With more than 58,000 children having lost one or both parents, the human cost of the conflict continues to mount even as diplomats meet in Cairo. The gap between ceasefire agreements on paper and their implementation on the ground reveals the depth of distrust between the parties and the challenge facing international mediators trying to move beyond a fragile pause toward lasting peace.