A day after four children were killed by Israeli shelling on a Gaza beach under the eyes of dozens of foreign journalists, three more children, once again all members of the same family, were reportedly killed in another air strike in Gaza City.
That brings the number of Palestinian children killed since the latest military operation started on July 7 to more than 44.At least 229 people have been killed so far and, according to UN figures, a majority of them have been civilians.The graphic video below shows the aftermath of the strike and the young victims.
The photos below show the children's funeral.
Photos by Dylan Collins
The latest strike, which hit the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, came as bombing resumed immediately after a five-hour “humanitarian window” to allow Gaza residents to restock on food and other essential supplies.The IDF said it held to the humanitarian ceasefire despite three mortars being fired from Gaza into Israel during that time.Israeli shelling kills four children on Gaza beach. Read more here.Wednesday’s beach shelling, which was documented by countless witnesses with video and photos, stirred up international condemnation.But, as some pointed out, it was not the first time children were killed in the latest operation — they just happened to die in front of foreign cameras.
Three children were just killed in an airstrike in Gaza City. This time, no photos or video, just names: Fulla, Jihad and Wassem Shuhaiber.
On July 13, 18 members of the same family, including six children and three women, one of them pregnant, were killed in a strike, and on July 10, eight members of the Al Haj family, including five children, were killed in an attack on Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Advertisement
In a statement released on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch condemned Israel's airstrikes targeting civilians as "unlawful."“Israel’s rhetoric is all about precision attacks, but attacks with no military target and many civilian deaths can hardly be considered precise,” Sarah Leah Whitson, the watchdog's Middle East director said in a statement. “Recent documented cases in Gaza sadly fit Israel’s long record of unlawful airstrikes with high civilian casualties.”Mona El-Farra, director of Gaza Projects of the Middle East Children's Alliance, also condemned the targeting of civilians."I am not sure how the pilots who are dropping bombs on us day and night can lead normal lives knowing how many innocent children they have killed," she said in a statement, before the latest strike.Follow Alice Speri on Twitter:@alicesperi
Get the latest from VICE News in your inbox. Sign up right here.
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.
