Gaza (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Five Palestinians, including four women, were killed in an Israeli raid shortly after midnight from Friday to Saturday on an apartment in western Gaza City, according to what the Civil Defense and a hospital reported, while the Israeli army said it targeted a leader in the Hamas movement.
Published on: 03/10/2026 - 12:38 Last updated: 03/10/2026 - 22:23
An official at Al-Shifa Medical Complex told Agence France-Presse, "Five martyrs and a number of those injured with various injuries arrived at the hospital today at dawn as a result of the Israeli air strike that targeted an apartment in the Al-Asala Building in the Al-Rimal neighborhood."
The same source added that "the martyrs are Maria Hafiz Michel Al-Najjar and her mother, Maysaa Khader Abu Daoud," who are Christians in the Palestinian Strip, in addition to "Yasmine Al-Bobo and her mother, Halloum Al-Bobo, and the young man Bilal Khalil Odeh."
Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal confirmed to Agence France-Presse that “five martyrs and several injuries” had been taken as a result of the raid, noting that “major damage had occurred in the targeted apartment as a result of it being directly hit by two missiles and the outbreak of a fire.”
On Saturday evening, the Israeli army announced that it had targeted Ali Al-Amoudi, describing him as the “right-hand man” of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, noting that he participated in planning the attack on October 7, 2023.
The army added that it was checking whether it had killed or injured him.
He stated that he targeted Al-Amoudi after learning that he was inside a residential building.
An Israeli military statement said, "Today, Al-Amoudi is considered the highest-ranking figure in the Hamas movement inside the Gaza Strip, and he is directly involved in the activities of the terrorist movement and in rebuilding the organization in preparation for war. This terrorist was targeted with the aim of removing the threat."
The army said it "took steps to limit harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions," adding that it "regrets any harm caused to uninvolved persons."
Funeral ceremony
The funeral ceremony for Maria Al-Najjar and Maysaa Abu Daoud was held at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrios in Gaza City, according to an AFP photographer.
The number of Christians in the Gaza Strip is estimated at about a thousand, the majority of whom are Orthodox, out of the total population of the Strip, which exceeds two million people.
The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, whose jurisdiction includes Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus, counts about 135 Catholics in the Gaza Strip, who took refuge in the Holy Family Church complex in Gaza City at the beginning of the war, before a number of Orthodox joined them.
Since the outbreak of war following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the late Pope Francis has been contacting Catholic Christians in Gaza regularly, several times a week, praying for them, encouraging them, and expressing his solidarity with them.
The Vatican toughened its tone towards the Hebrew state following a strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza in July 2025, which resulted in the deaths of three people and sparked international condemnation.
Despite the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began in October 2025, Israel continues almost daily aerial, artillery, and naval bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of more than 1,430 Palestinians since the ceasefire was announced, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, whose data the United Nations considers reliable.
More than 74,200 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Ministry of Health data.
The Hamas attack on the Hebrew state in 2023 killed more than 1,200 people, according to official Israeli data.
© 2026 AFP
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