Deadly Airstrike in Central Gaza
Three members of a family—a father, mother, and their six-year-old daughter—were killed on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in an Israeli air attack on an apartment in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza. The strike left another child as the sole survivor. Palestinian Civil Defence teams extinguished a fire caused by the bombardment and rescued the surviving child, according to Palestinian officials.
Children at Risk in Gaza
Palestinian health officials confirmed the deaths. Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported from Gaza City: “Children are being killed on a daily basis in Gaza, and if they survive air strikes, many die of their wounds because of the lack of medical supplies and hospitals operating with severely reduced capacity.” The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency warned that 96 percent of children in Gaza feel death is imminent.
Israeli Army Admits Responsibility
The Israeli army admitted responsibility for the Deir el-Balah strike, claiming it targeted a Hamas fighter, but the attack killed civilians including children. Elsewhere, Israeli air raids hit a rehabilitation centre in Gaza City and a park in Khan Younis sheltering hundreds of displaced families.
Casualty Update
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 12 bodies were brought to hospitals on Wednesday, one person died of wounds, and 18 others were injured in Israeli attacks over the latest 24-hour period. Since the US-brokered ceasefire in October, Israeli air raids have killed more than 1,100 people, including at least 275 children. Four Israeli soldiers have also been killed.
Background to the Conflict
The war began in October 2023 after a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel killed an estimated 1,200 people and took about 240 captive. Israel responded with a campaign that Palestinian officials describe as genocidal, killing more than 73,200 people, including at least 21,000 children. Israel has dropped about 223,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza—16 times more than the US dropped on Hiroshima in 1945—leaving most of the territory in ruins and displacing its residents.
Stalled Ceasefire Talks
Prospects for a permanent end to hostilities remain bleak. Talks on a second phase of the ceasefire, which would involve Hamas giving up its weapons and Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza, have largely stalled. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence, with families torn apart and infrastructure destroyed.
Journalist Killed in Israeli Drone Strike
Legit.ng earlier reported that Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah was killed on June 20, 2026, in an Israeli drone strike targeting a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Several others were wounded, according to the channel’s correspondent.
