The attack is part of an Israeli escalation in strikes against homes and buildings sheltering displaced Palestinians.

Civil defence rescue workers said that several people remain missing beneath the rubble after the overnight attack.

One video clip circulating online shows rubble in place of where the Abu Dahrouj family home would have been.

Other footage shows the moments after the assault, with people seen assessing the destruction and running to the aid of victims.

The Abu Dahrouj house is one of several family homes that have been targeted since dawn on Thursday, as Israeli forces increase their attacks and pile pressure on Palestinians in north and central Gaza to flee south.

At least four civilians were killed and others wounded in Israeli bombardment targeting the home belonging to the Abu Taha family in the al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

In al-Tuffah neighbourhood, located in the Old City of Gaza, the home of Abdel Aal family on Yafa Street was struck.

Elsewhere, in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, the Qatrawi family home was targeted in an air strike, wounding a number of people.

The army has also repeatedly targeted key infrastructure since dawn, with an electricity company building in al-Sabra neighbourhood and the Bank of Palestine building, both located in Gaza City, reportedly hit on Thursday.

Local media reported Israeli shelling on so-called "humanitarian zones" and aid distribution centres, much of them located south of the Palestinian enclave.

Coinciding with these attacks is ongoing fighting between Palestinian factions and the Israeli army, which continues to intensify.

In one post on Telegram, Qassam Brigades – the military wing of Hamas – announced it had targeted Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli military said a sergeant, Chalachew Shimon Demalash, of the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade, was killed in combat.

Palestinian children 'trapped in a graveyard'
The head of the UN's humanitarian agency warned on Thursday that Palestinian children are suffering under relentless Israeli bombardment and attacks.

In remarks made to the UN General Assembly, Tom Fletcher said that the children of Gaza are "trapped in a graveyard", noting that one child has been killed every hour on average for nearly two years since the genocide began in October 2023.

"They’ve been bombed, maimed, starved, burned alive, buried in the rubble of their homes, separated from their parents. Denied every ounce of humanity that the rules of war were designed to preserve," he said.

"Killed while sleeping, playing, queueing for food and water, seeking medical care… I fear that we will gather again, to solemnly intone the death toll, to try to find new words to express the horror, to call again for action."

Since the genocide began nearly two years ago, more than 65,500 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 20,000 children.

Israel has killed two percent of Gaza’s child population, according to rights organisation Save the Children.

The true number is estimated to be higher, as thousands remain missing, likely beneath rubble.

In one particularly harrowing account, a Palestinian resident described the horror of seeing an entire family killed in an instant. “All of them in pieces, and our house collapsed on us,” the survivor recounted. Their home, located directly next to the targeted residence, was severely damaged in the explosion. Rescue workers are still pulling bodies from beneath the debris, desperately searching for survivors in what has been described as the most intense assault since January 19th.

The latest wave of bombings comes after Israel seemingly unilaterally ended a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that had been in place since January. Hamas has now called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene and bring an end to the attacks, urging international pressure on Israel to halt its military campaign.

The Israeli military, however, insists that the renewed airstrikes are necessary, claiming they are operating under the direct orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli officials have stated that the intensification of military action is in response to stalled negotiations over the release of Israeli captives and Hamas’s refusal to accept proposed agreements.

The White House has confirmed that Israel consulted the Trump administration prior to launching the strikes, signaling Washington’s continued involvement in the conflict. Officials have warned that there will be consequences, raising the specter of an all-out return to full-scale war.

As the conflict rages on, the Palestinian death toll has climbed beyond 60,000, marking yet another grim milestone in a war that has spanned 17 months with no clear end in sight. The international community remains divided on how to respond, but for those on the ground in Gaza, survival is the only priority as they brace for further attacks in the days to come.

News source- Al Jazeera