Eleven Family Members Killed After Israeli Shell Hits Bus in Gaza

At least 11 people from the same family have been killed after an Israeli tank shell hit the bus they were travelling in in northern Gaza, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence.

Officials say the family were on their way to check their home in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City on Friday night when the incident happened.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency that the victims were members of the Abu Shaaban family, including women and children.

The Israeli military (IDF) confirmed that its troops fired at a “suspicious vehicle” that had crossed the so-called yellow line, which marks areas of Gaza still occupied by Israeli forces.

According to the IDF, the vehicle kept moving toward Israeli soldiers “in a way that caused an imminent threat,” prompting troops to open fire “to remove the threat.”

However, Hamas said the family had been targeted without justification, accusing Israel of ignoring civilian safety during the ceasefire.

Israel has repeatedly warned Palestinians not to enter parts of Gaza still under its control.
But many residents say it is difficult to know which areas are restricted, since the yellow line is not physically marked and internet access is limited, making it hard to get updates on troop positions.

In a separate development, the Palestinian embassy in Cairo announced that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will reopen on Monday, allowing Palestinian residents in Egypt to return home.

Meanwhile, Hamas on Friday handed over the body of Israeli hostage Eliyahu Margalit to the Red Cross, which then returned it to Israel. He was the tenth deceased hostage to be repatriated since the ceasefire began.
The Hamas-run health ministry said Israel also returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians, bringing the total number received to 135.

As part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, Israel has released 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, while Hamas has returned 20 living hostages to Israel.

The current war began after the 7 October 2023 attack, when Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages.

In response, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 67,900 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since then, figures that the United Nations considers credible.