Two-month-old baby girl and parents killed by Israel airstrike in Gaza while living in tent
A baby girl and her parents have been killed in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, hospital officials and witnesses said. The baby, who is said to have been two months old, was wrapped in blue as she was placed on top of her parents after the bombing as Palestinians stood over them and prayed.
Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and the girl were all killed in their tent in the crowded Muwasi area. "Two and a half months, what has she done?" neighbour Fathi Shubeir asked. "They are civilians in an area designated safe."
It comes as Israel's military said it is dismantling Hamas ' military capabilities and is taking precautions not to harm civilians. The country said it will not be commenting on the strike without more details.
Muwasi is one of the most heavily populated areas in Gaza and is where Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country plans to widen its military offensive.
The mobilisation of the country's forces is expected to take weeks, and Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages from the October 7, 2023, attack which sparked the war.
Families of the hostages have said they fear the offensive further endangers the 50 remaining people in Gaza, just 20 of them thought to be alive. They, and other Israelis, were horrified when they saw the recent videos showing the hostages, speaking under duress, pleading for help and food.
A group representing the families of the hostages in Gaza held by Hamas has urged the people of Israel into the streets on Sunday. The group said in a statement: "Across the country, hundreds of citizen-led initiatives will pause daily life and join the most just and moral struggle: the struggle to bring all 50 hostages home."
The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are now at their highest since the war began with Palestinians drinking contaminated water as disease spreads.
A further 11 deaths linked to malnutrition have occurred in the last 24 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Saturday, with one child among the 11. The total malnutrition-related deaths during the war has now reached 251.
The UN and partners said getting aid into the territory of two million people, and then onto distribution points, continues to be highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry people.
At least 1,760 people were killed seeking aid between May 27 and August 13, the UN human rights office said. 766 are said to have been killed along routes of supply convoys and 994 in the vicinity of "non-UN militarised sites" - a term used to reference the Israeli-backed and US supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which has been the primary distributor of aid in Gaza since May.
The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed 61,897 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Israel protests erupt nationwide to demand end of Gaza war
Tens of thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv amid a nationwide strike in support of the families of hostages held in Gaza. Demonstrations around the country called on Israel's government to reach an agreement with Hamas to release the remaining captives. The Tel Aviv protest is one of the largest in Israel since fighting began in October 2023. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the protesters, saying their actions 'ensure that the horrors of 7 October will reoccur'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Trump rules out Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining Nato as European leaders gather in Washington
Donald Trump has put pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of Monday's talks in Washington with European leaders, saying the Ukrainian president could end the war 'almost immediately' if he wanted to. The US president also ruled out allowing Ukraine to join Nato or retake Russian-occupied Crimea as part of negotiations with Moscow. Trump posted the remarks on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, hours before he is due to meet European leaders including Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Zelenskyy at the Oval Office in a bid to counter a reportedly US-backed plan that would see Ukraine give up territory. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump posted. 'No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and no going into Nato by Ukraine. Some things never change!!!' he added. A minute later, the US president posted that it would be a 'great honour' to host so many European leaders at one time at the White House. The remarks may spark alarm among European diplomats keen to avoid a repeat of the public mauling of Zelenskyy during his last trip to the White House, in February, when Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, accused him of ingratitude and disrespect and told him: 'You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now.' Even before Sunday's remarks by Trump, Zelenskyy faces a daunting task of reversing the damage done to Ukraine's security prospects by Friday's Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. Earlier, Trump accused the media of misrepresenting his 'great meeting in Alaska' – an encounter widely seen as a victory for Putin and a humiliation for the US president. On Sunday, Trump claimed he had made 'big progress' on Russia, without giving details. European leaders on Monday will reaffirm their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and argue against any land swap plan that rewards Russian aggression. They will also seek further clarity on what security guarantees the US is willing to offer in the event of a settlement. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's envoy to international organisations in Vienna, said early on Monday that Russia agrees that any future Ukraine peace agreement must provide security guarantees to Kyiv, but added that Russia 'has equal right to expect that Moscow will also get efficient security guarantees'. In a conciliatory statement announcing his visit to Washington, Starmer praised Trump for his 'efforts to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine'. At the same time, Starmer reasserted Europe's red lines. He said the 'path to peace' could not be decided without Zelenskyy and said Russia should be 'squeezed' with further sanctions. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin had agreed for the first time for the US and Europe to provide protection to Ukraine as part of a deal. This would be outside the auspices of Nato but would be the equivalent of the alliance's article 5 self-defence pact, Witkoff indicated. With Agence France-Presse
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Trump tells Zelensky he can end Ukraine-Russia war 'immediately' as he lays out terms for peace with Putin ahead of White House summit
President Donald Trump has issued an extraordinary rebuke of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling him he can 'end the war with Russia.' Trump categorically ruled out Zelenskyy's desire to see Ukraine join NATO and indicated he has no desire to see Crimea returned to Ukrainian rule. His shock position comes just hours ahead of his scheduled meeting with Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday night. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. 'Some things never change!!!' Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland are rallying around the Ukrainian president and will join him in Washington on Monday amid fears he is walking into a trap. Their pledge to be at Zelenskyy's side at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February, when Trump berated Zelenskyy in a heated Oval Office encounter. 'The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr. Zelenskyy to the hilt,' said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations. 'It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,' he said. Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said European leaders are trying to 'shape this fast-evolving agenda.' After the Alaska summit, the idea of a ceasefire appears all-but-abandoned, with the narrative shifting toward Putin's agenda of ensuring Ukraine does not join NATO or even the EU. Zelenskyy earlier pushed back against Trump's assertion — which aligned with Putin's preference — that the two sides should negotiate a complete end to the war, rather than first securing a ceasefire. Zelenskyy said a ceasefire would provide breathing room to review Putin's demands. 'It's impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons,' he said. 'Putin does not want to stop the killing, but he must do it.'
