Palestinians say 19 members of same family killed in southern Gaza strike

Palestinians say 19 members of the same family were killed in the southern Gaza Strip today in an Israeli strike.

Nasser Abu Quta tells AP that the Israeli military fired an evacuation warning shot a short distance from his home, a precautionary measure meant to allow people to evacuate before airstrikes.

Abu Quta, 57, thought he and his extended family would be safe some hundred meters away from the house that was alerted to the pending strike. He huddled with his relatives on the ground floor of his four-story building, bracing for an impact in the area.

But the house of Abu Quta’s neighbor was never hit, the report says. In an instant, an explosion ripped through his own home, wiping out 19 members of his family, including his wife and cousins, he says. The airstrike also killed five of his neighbors who were standing outside in the jam-packed refugee camp, a jumble of buildings and alleyways.

???? ISRAEL: FUNERAL UNDER WAY OF ABU QUTA FAMILY OF 12 INCL. 4 CHILDREN KILLED IN IDF BOMBING OF RAFAH. pic.twitter.com/urbEXQL4K6

— Bloomberg Whistleblower (@bloombergblower) October 8, 2023

There were no fighters in his building, he insists, and his family was not warned. The Israeli military has said it struck various Hamas offices and command centers in multi-story buildings. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the strike on Abu Quta’s home.