Gaza Airstrike Kills Newborn Twins, Wife, and Mother-in-Law

In a heartbreaking story from Gaza, Mohammed Abu Al-Qumsan, a father who had just picked up birth certificates for his newborn twins, was struck by unimaginable grief when he learned that his babies, along with his wife and her mother, were killed in an Israeli strike. The family had been sheltering in a Gaza apartment when the strike occurred, turning what should have been a place of safety into a scene of tragedy.

Mohammed, 31, held the birth certificates—symbols of the joy that was meant to come into his life—as he broke down in tears at the morgue where their bodies were taken. “My wife is gone, my two babies, and my mother-in-law,” he said, recalling the devastating phone call that brought him the news. The twins, Asser and Ayssel, were only four days old.

At the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, sorrow hung heavy in the air as Mohammed and others carried the small, white-shrouded bodies of the infants. A crowd gathered, some praying, others simply watching in silence from the hospital’s balcony—witnesses to yet another chapter in the relentless suffering that has gripped Gaza.

The conflict in Gaza, now stretching into its tenth month, has brought untold hardship to one of the world’s most densely populated regions. Air strikes and artillery shells have become a daily reality, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move from place to place, desperate for safety that remains out of reach. The toll is staggering: nearly 40,000 people have been killed, and over 92,000 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities.

“Today, history will remember that the occupation army targeted newborn children, barely four days old, along with their mother and grandmother,” said hospital doctor Khalil al-Daqran, capturing the enormity of the loss.

Israel asserts that it takes great care to avoid civilian casualties, blaming Hamas for using civilians as human shields—a claim Hamas denies. The conflict began with a Hamas raid on October 7, which led to widespread violence. Israeli reports say that 1,200 people have been killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the fighting.

As the violence continues, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows ever more dire, leaving families like Mohammed Abu Al-Qumsan’s to bear the weight of unbearable loss. The death of his newborn twins, his wife, and his mother-in-law is a tragic reminder of the countless innocent lives caught in the crossfire of this devastating conflict.