Israeli air strike in Gaza kills 10 from one family as UN decries civilian toll

UN says women and children comprise recent victims while evacuation orders worsen crisis.

Palestinians examine the rubble of the al-Farra family home, which was completely destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, as attacks on Gaza persist in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on April 11, 2025. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

The Israeli air strike in Gaza that kills 10 from one family early Friday has sparked fresh condemnation, with the United Nations warning that an alarming number of recent attacks have left only women and children among the dead. The incident underscores the escalating human toll of the war that has gripped the Palestinian territory for 18 months.

The strike hit the Farra family home in Khan Yunis just before dawn, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. "Ten people, including seven children, were brought to the hospital as martyrs following an Israeli air strike that targeted the Farra family home in central Khan Yunis," said civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal.

Video footage from the scene, recorded by AFP, showed mangled concrete slabs and twisted metal strewn across the rubble of what used to be a residential home. Rescuers and medics could be seen pulling bodies from the debris, many of them wrapped in white shrouds and carried away in ambulances.

Mounting civilian casualties draw UN concern

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement Friday highlighting that dozens of recent Israeli strikes have resulted in casualties consisting solely of women and children. The report emphasized the growing humanitarian crisis as Israel’s military operations continue in densely populated areas.

The UN also expressed serious concern over the expansion of evacuation orders that are forcing Palestinians into "ever-shrinking" spaces, potentially amounting to forcible transfer under international law.

"These ongoing attacks and mass displacements are exacerbating the already dire conditions in Gaza, where access to food, medical care, and safe shelter is critically limited," the UN office warned.

Israel says it is investigating the strike

The Israeli military acknowledged the strike that resulted in the deaths of the Farra family but said it is currently investigating the incident. In a separate statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted approximately 40 "terror targets" across Gaza in the past 24 hours.

Since Israel resumed intense air and ground operations on March 18 — ending a fragile two-month ceasefire with Hamas — Gaza's health ministry reports that more than 1,500 people have been killed. The majority of these victims, according to local officials, are civilians, including hundreds of children.

Israel maintains that its operations are aimed at dismantling Hamas's military infrastructure and leadership, but rights groups and international observers continue to call for greater restraint and more effective measures to protect civilians.

A war with no end in sight

The war, now well into its second year, erupted after a massive escalation of violence that began in late 2023. What started as a response to Hamas rocket fire has become one of the deadliest and most prolonged conflicts in Gaza’s history. Despite international pressure, including repeated calls for ceasefires and humanitarian corridors, a sustainable peace remains elusive.

In recent weeks, the fighting has intensified in southern Gaza, particularly around Khan Yunis and Rafah. Witnesses reported continuous and heavy Israeli tank fire near the areas of Friday’s air strike. The sound of artillery shelling echoed throughout the city for hours, residents said.

"We are living under constant fear," said one Khan Yunis resident who asked not to be named. "There is no safe place left, and the situation gets worse every day."

Struggling hospitals and aid blockades

The health infrastructure in Gaza is crumbling. With Israel cutting off aid for more than a month, hospitals are struggling to treat the wounded. Doctors face shortages of medicine, surgical supplies, and electricity, making even routine procedures life-threatening.

Medical staff at the hospital that received the victims of Friday’s strike said they were overwhelmed. "The emergency room is packed. We don't have enough beds, and we’re running out of basic supplies like bandages and IV fluids," said a nurse who requested anonymity due to security concerns.

Aid organizations, including the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières, have repeatedly urged Israel to allow the flow of humanitarian aid. However, border restrictions and ongoing military activity have made large-scale deliveries nearly impossible.

Calls for accountability and restraint

Friday’s deadly air strike has reignited calls from international leaders for Israel to reconsider its strategy in Gaza. Human rights groups accuse the Israeli military of disproportionate use of force and of violating the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law.

"There must be accountability for these civilian deaths," said a spokesperson for Human Rights Watch. "The systematic killing of women and children cannot be explained away as collateral damage."

Israel has defended its tactics, saying Hamas uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes — a claim Hamas denies. The complexity of urban warfare in Gaza has made verification difficult, but the rising death toll continues to draw condemnation.

The toll on children and families

Perhaps the most devastating aspect of this conflict is its impact on children. UNICEF has described Gaza as "one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child," citing not only the physical dangers of warfare but also the psychological trauma caused by constant displacement, loss, and fear.

Entire families, like the Farra family, are being wiped out in single air strikes. Survivors are left with nothing — no homes, no schools, and often no family members. Grief has become a part of daily life for Gaza’s residents, many of whom have lost multiple relatives since the war began.

International diplomacy stalls

Efforts to broker a new ceasefire have stalled. The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have led several rounds of negotiations, but none have yielded a lasting agreement. Trust between the parties is at an all-time low, and the path forward remains uncertain.

Diplomats say that without significant concessions from both Israel and Hamas — and stronger guarantees from the international community — it will be difficult to stop the bloodshed.

Until then, civilians on both sides of the border will continue to pay the price. But for now, in Gaza, another family has been buried beneath rubble. Another set of children has been lost. And the cries for peace grow more desperate by the day.