An Israeli air raid on a residence in Gaza's southernmost urban area resulted in the death of at least nine individuals, including six children, according to hospital officials on Saturday. This incident occurred amidst Israel's ongoing offensive in the besieged Palestinian region.

The strike late Friday hit a residential building in the western Tel Sultan neighbourhood of the city of Rafah, according to Gaza’s civil defense.

"Nine martyrs including six children were pulled out from the rubble after Israeli air forces struck a house of the Radwan family in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah," Gaza Civil Defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in a statement.

Abdel-Fattah Sobhi Radwan, along with his wife Najlaa Ahmed Aweidah and their three children, were among the casualties, as confirmed by his brother-in-law, Ahmed Barhoum. Additionally, Barhoum suffered the loss of his wife, Rawan Radwan, and their five-year-old daughter, Alaa.

“This is a world devoid of all human values and morals,” Barhoum told The Associated Press Saturday morning, crying as he cradled and gently rocked the body of Alaa in his arms. “They bombed a house full of displaced people, women and children. There were no martyrs but women and children.”

No victims were registered from a second overnight strike in the city.

Rafah, situated along the border with Egypt, is currently home to over half of Gaza’s approximate population of 2.3 million individuals. The majority of these residents have been displaced due to conflicts occurring further north within the territory.

Despite calls for restraint from global stakeholders, including Israel’s closest ally, the United States, the Israeli government has maintained its stance for months, affirming its intention to initiate a ground assault into the city. Israeli authorities assert that numerous Hamas terrorists remain entrenched within the area.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry on Saturday said that the bodies were brought to the hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, along with 68 wounded. The latest figures bring the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 34,049, and the number of wounded to 76,901, the ministry said. The war was sparked by an unprecedented raid into southern Israel by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7 that left about 1,200 people dead and over 250 abducted.

The conflict has significantly heightened tensions in the region, sparking a sharp increase in violence between Israel and its long-standing adversary, Iran, which posed a serious risk of escalating into a full-scale war.

Recent events suggest a de-escalation, as both Iran and Israel downplayed a reported Israeli airstrike near a significant air base and nuclear facility in central Iran. In previous weeks, there were reports of an Israeli strike targeting two Iranian generals at an Iranian consulate in Syria, followed by an unprecedented missile barrage from Iran aimed at Israel.

Israel has also confronted the Hezbollah terrorist group, which acts as an Iranian proxy based in Lebanon. Conflict between the two sides often involves exchanges of rocket and drone attacks across the border between Lebanon and Israel. Additionally, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have entered the conflict by targeting merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They claim these actions are in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

The recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza’s Rafah city resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals, including six children, intensifying tensions in the already volatile Middle East. Despite international calls for restraint, Israel has maintained its intention to pursue military action, citing the presence of Hamas terrorists in the area. This escalation comes amid ongoing conflicts involving Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have targeted merchant ships in solidarity with Gaza. Additionally, clashes in the occupied West Bank have led to casualties on both sides.

Saraya al-Quds, the military arm of Islamic Jihad, said its fighters had engaged in heavy gun battles Saturday morning with Israeli forces in the town of Tulkarem, adjacent to Nur Shams. No further details were immediately available. Residents in Tulkarem went on a general strike Saturday to protest the attack on Nur Shams, with shops, restaurants and government offices all closed.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority holds partial control over areas like Tulkarem and Jenin, though its influence is limited, particularly in the northern regions. Terrorist factions like Islamic Jihad operate actively in these cities, frequently engaging in confrontations with Israeli forces during military operations.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, more than 460 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, Palestinian health officials say.

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