Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Sunday killed at least 13 people, including two boys, a pregnant woman carrying twins and nine police officers. A home in Nuseirat and a police vehicle near az-Zawayda were hit; hospitals reported 14 more wounded. Israel plans to partially reopen the Rafah crossing on March 18 for limited passenger movement amid a severe humanitarian crisis with critical shortages of medicines and medical supplies.
Israeli Air Strikes Kill 13 in Gaza, Including Children and Pregnant Woman Carrying Twins
Interactive - Death toll tracker-gaza - mar11, 2026-1771426868
Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed at least 13 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including two boys, a pregnant woman carrying twins and nine police officers, local hospitals and security officials said.
Strikes on a Home and a Police Vehicle
An attack on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed four people from one family — a couple in their 30s and their 10-year-old son — and critically injured a 15-year-old neighbor who was taken to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, Al-Aqsa Hospital said. The woman was reported to have been pregnant with twins.
Separately, the Gaza Interior Ministry said a strike hit a police vehicle on the Philadelphi Corridor near the entrance to the town of az-Zawayda, killing nine officers, including Colonel Iyad Ab Yousef, a senior police official. Al-Aqsa Hospital confirmed the deaths and said 14 other people were wounded in the incidents.
“We were sleeping and got up to the strike of a missile. The strike was strong. There was no prior warning,”
— Mahmoud al-Muhtaseb, neighbour of the Nuseirat home.
Official Responses
The Gaza Interior Ministry condemned the strike on the police vehicle, saying the officers were carrying out duties to monitor markets and maintain security during Ramadan. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military regarding the incidents.
Humanitarian Situation and Rafah Crossing
The deaths are among the latest in the Gaza enclave since a ceasefire deal sought to halt more-than-two-year hostilities. While large-scale fighting has eased in some areas, near-daily Israeli strikes and exchanges of fire continue, and Gaza health officials say more than 650 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 10, 2025.
Israel announced it will partially reopen the Rafah crossing with Egypt on March 18 for limited passenger movement in both directions, according to COGAT, the Israeli body that coordinates civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories. COGAT said no cargo will be allowed, and entry and exit will require prior Israeli security clearance, coordination with Egypt and oversight by the European Union border mission deployed to Rafah.
Humanitarian needs remain acute: more than 20,000 sick and wounded Palestinians are reportedly on waiting lists for care not available in Gaza, including roughly 4,000 cancer patients and about 4,500 children, with nearly 440 cases described as immediately life-threatening. The World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean warned that only about 200 aid trucks a day are entering Gaza, far short of an estimated daily requirement of 600. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says nearly half of essential medicines are out of stock and two-thirds of medical supplies have run dry.
Local aid workers and residents report deteriorating living conditions. Mohammed Salah, founder of the NGO Tech From Palestine, told Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah that prices for basic goods have doubled or worse since recent escalations. A recent sandstorm also swept across Gaza, damaging makeshift shelters that house tens of thousands of internally displaced people.
What Remains Unclear
Independent verification of some details remains limited because of restricted access. Casualty figures and accounts come from Gaza health and security authorities and local hospitals; the Israeli military had not immediately commented on the reported strikes at the time of publication.
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