An Israeli airstrike killed Omar Abu Qassem, his wife, Asma, and their daughter, Habeeba, in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The strike hit an apartment building in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, leaving their three-year-old son, Sami, injured but alive, Palestinian health officials confirmed. The Israeli military stated it targeted a Hamas militant in the strike. Friends and relatives later gathered at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, mourning the three white-shrouded bodies before their burial following special prayers.
Abu Anas Shahin, a relative, spoke to Reuters, asking, "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 questioned, "Where is the mercy? Where is the humanity?" United Nations figures from November 2025 indicate that over 58,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents.
In the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, medics reported another Israeli airstrike killed one person. The Israeli military offered no immediate comment on that incident. These deaths contribute to a toll exceeding 1,100 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since an October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, according to health officials in the enclave. Hamas typically doesn't disclose information regarding its fatalities. This truce halted major fighting, yet it hasn't stopped near-daily Israeli strikes. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza during this same period.
Ongoing Occupation and Civilian Toll
The latest violence unfolded as Hamas leaders concluded another round of truce talks in Cairo on Tuesday. Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar mediated these discussions, which aimed to implement the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan. Sources close to the talks revealed that discussions included the disarmament of Hamas and the Israeli military's withdrawal from the strip. However, little progress had been made due to deep distrust between the two sides. This second phase also envisions a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee assuming power from Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, and the commencement of Gaza's reconstruction, a territory devastated by the war.
Five countries—Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania—have pledged troops for the U.S.-backed International Stabilization Force. None have deployed yet, as negotiations between Trump's Board of Peace and Hamas have stalled for months. Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, spoke at an aid donor meeting in Brussels on Monday. He announced a visit to 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 acknowledged the October 2025 ceasefire was holding but "imperfectly," with violations continuing, and stated Hamas had yet to agree to what he termed a "roadmap" for negotiations.
Failed 'Peace' Frameworks
Hamas official Basem Naim accused Mladenov of supporting Israel’s negotiating position. Naim stated Mladenov failed to hold Israel accountable for violating the ceasefire and for not upholding the terms of the first phase of the Trump plan. That plan called for Israel to withdraw its troops to a demarcated "yellow" line. Instead, Israel has been slowly moving its troops forward and now effectively occupies more than 60% of the strip. Hamas has repeatedly asserted it cannot advance to the second phase of the peace plan until the terms of the first phase are fulfilled.
Gaza Under Siege
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. They reside mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control. 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 reported Israel’s subsequent offensive on the strip killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, marking the third year of the conflict.