A Palestinian woman comforts a child as casualties from an Israeli strike arrive at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah. Reuters
A Palestinian woman comforts a child as casualties from an Israeli strike arrive at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah. Reuters
A Palestinian woman comforts a child as casualties from an Israeli strike arrive at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah. Reuters
A Palestinian woman comforts a child as casualties from an Israeli strike arrive at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah. Reuters

One-year-old boy who had just uttered first words among dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza


Fatima Al Mahmoud
  • English
  • Arabic

A one-year-old boy killed by an Israeli strike near a medical centre in Gaza had uttered his first words to his mother just hours earlier.

At least 15 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed while queuing for nutritional supplements outside a clinic in Deir Al Balah, the UN children's agency said. Among the victims was Mohammed, one, who had earlier spoken his first words to his mother, Donia. She critically injured in the strike and now lies in a hospital bed “clutching Mohammed’s tiny shoe”, Unicef said.

“The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable,” Unicef executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement after the attack on Thursday. “No parent should have to face such tragedy.”

The Israeli strike occurred as patients gathered to receive treatment for malnutrition, infections and chronic illnesses from a medical centre operated by a Unicef partner organisation, Project Hope.

The clinic is a “place of refuge in Gaza where people bring their small children, women access pregnancy and post-partum care, people receive treatment for malnutrition, and more, Project Hope president Rabih Torbay said in a statement.

“Yet, this morning, innocent families were mercilessly attacked as they stood in line waiting for the doors to open. Horrified and heart-broken cannot properly communicate how we feel any more."

The Israeli military said the incident was under review, claiming the target of the attack was a Hamas militant who took part in the attacks on October 7, 2023.

At least 66 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday, the enclave's civil defence agency said.

The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable
Unicef executive director Catherine Russell

Three were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid in north-western Gaza city, adding to the high death toll from attacks near aid sites since the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late may.

At least 798 people have been killed while trying to receive food aid in the enclave since May 27, with 615 killed near GHF sites, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned the aid delivery system as a “death sentence”, saying people were being killed while "simply trying to feed themselves and their families”.

Journalist Ahmad Abu Aisha was killed in a strike west of Nuseirat in central Gaza on Thursday, medical sources said. At least five people were killed in a strike on tents sheltering displaced families in Al Qarara village, the Wafa news agency reported.

On Friday morning, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least six people in the north of the enclave, including five at a school being used as a shelter.

The latest strikes come amid negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas in Qatar. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was hopeful a ceasefire would be agreed to in the “near future”.

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Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

Abu Dhabi race card

5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige Dh110,000 1,400m

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Source: YouGov

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5. Zakat 

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

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Salama bint Butti Street

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Watford 0

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Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
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Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks. 

“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.

“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

Need to know

When: October 17 until November 10

Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration

Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center

What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.

For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com

Updated: July 12, 2025, 3:40 AM