Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least 8 from the same family, Palestinians say
World
Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least 8 from the same family, Palestinians say
NEW YORK (AP) - An Israeli strike in Gaza killed at least eight people from the same family, most of them women and children, Palestinian medics said Tuesday.
The strike late Monday hit a house in Gaza City’s central neighborhood of Daraj, according to the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service.
Among the bodies recovered from the rubble were a father and his three children, and the children’s grandmother, according to a casualty list obtained by The Associated Press. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.
Israeli bombardment and offensives in Gaza have killed more than 45,000 Palestinians over the past 14 months, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry’s tally does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but it says more than of half the dead were women and children.
Israel launched its campaign in retaliation for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250 others, around 100 of whom remain in captivity.
Israel’s Central Bank says imports from Asia and the Pacific have not been significantly impacted by Yemen’s Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea.
A study issued by the bank found that imports to Israel in general have decreased since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. But it said the decrease was not noticeably larger for imports from the Asia-Pacific, which reach Israel via the Red Sea.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping aim to show support for Palestinians and hurt Israel. The attacks, which began in November 2023, caused a drop in cargo traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, a vital route connecting Asia and Europe. Shipping companies responded by rerouting much of the traffic to the longer and more costly voyage around Africa. Egypt has reported a 24% drop in its revenues from the canal.
The report released last week, by researchers Haggayi Etkes of the Bank of Israel and Nitzan Feldman, found that the value of worldwide maritime imports fell by about 35% in January compared to the period before Houthi attacks started in November 2023. But it found that the rate had recovered by May as shipping adjusted to the new routes.
It said imports from Asia to Mediterranean countries including Greece, Turkey, Italy, France and Spain were harder hit than Israel by the slowdown. It said that could be because Israel imports less from Asia than those countries. It did not provide figures on the amount of the drop in trade for Israel.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
