ISRAELI forces have killed 11 members of a Palestinian family in Gaza, the deadliest single violation of the fragile ceasefire since it took effect eight days ago.
The attack happened on Friday evening when a tank shell was fired by Israeli forces at a civilian vehicle carrying the Abu Shaaban family in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to Gaza’s civil defence.
Seven children and three women were among those killed when the Israeli military fired on the vehicle as the family attempted to reach their home to inspect it, civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.
“They could have been warned or dealt with differently,” Basal said, adding that “what happened confirms that the occupation is still thirsty for blood, and insists on committing crimes against innocent civilians.”
The agency said in a separate statement that its teams have managed to recover the bodies of nine people so far, in coordination with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Meanwhile, the bodies of two children remain missing, as their remains were “scattered due to the intensity of the bombardment,” the group added.
Hamas condemned what it called a “massacre” and said the family was targeted without justification. The group called on United States President Donald Trump and mediators to pressure Israel to respect the ceasefire agreement.
In that attack, Israeli soldiers opened fire on people who crossed the so-called “yellow line”, the demarcation to which Israel’s military was supposed to pull back under the ceasefire terms.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza, said many Palestinians lack internet access and are unaware of where Israeli forces remain positioned along the so-called demarcation lines, putting families at risk.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has claimed that the yellow lines in Gaza will soon be marked out for clarity.
Israeli forces remain in control of approximately 53 percent of Gaza, Khoudary said.
