Israeli Strike Kills 15, Including Six Children, in Al-Sabra Massacre

Gaza, MINA – At least 15 Palestinians, including six children, were killed and more than 50 others wounded on Saturday after an Israeli missile strike flattened a residential building in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of central Gaza City, according to Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal, Palestine chronicle reported.

Basal told Al-Jazeera that two missiles struck the home directly, with around 85 people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble. “It’s almost certain that everyone inside was killed,” he said. “What happened was a full-blown massacre.”

Rescue operations were suspended due to ongoing Israeli bombardment and a lack of critical equipment. Basal warned that many survivors are dying simply because civil defense teams are relying entirely on manual efforts. “Most of our vehicles and tools have been destroyed,” he added.

He called for an urgent ceasefire to allow rescue operations and the retrieval of the dead.

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The massacre in Al-Sabra came amid a broader escalation across the Gaza Strip. A medical source at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital reported three more deaths from an Israeli airstrike west of the Jabaliya refugee camp. Additional casualties occurred east of Deir al-Balah and in the Tuffah neighborhood, where a civil defense officer was killed in his home.

In southern Gaza, Al-Jazeera reported multiple injuries in displacement camps west of Khan Yunis after Israeli forces opened fire.

The healthcare system in Gaza, already devastated by months of war, is now on the brink of total collapse. Mohammed Abu Afash, director of medical relief, described an “absolute shortage” of supplies. Dr. Marwan al-Hams, head of field hospitals, said the destruction “exceeds all the wars and attacks the world has witnessed.”

Hospitals like Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis have become shelters for displaced people, but Israeli forces have reportedly bombed these sites as well. “They are bombing hospitals. They are bombing all the tents of displaced people, from north to south,” al-Hams said.

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He accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians to “spoil the joy of Eid” through systematic bombing and starvation.

The Gaza Ministry of Health called on international institutions to establish a humanitarian corridor for transporting the wounded to Al Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis. The area around the hospital has been declared a combat zone by Israeli forces, making access nearly impossible.

As Israel’s offensive continues, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is rapidly worsening. The international community faces growing pressure to intervene and demand an immediate ceasefire. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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