Pregnant Mother and Two Children Killed in Gaza Strikes; Family Says There Was No Warning

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Palestinians on Saturday buried a woman who was pregnant with twins and two of her children after they were among at least 13 people killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza.

Palestinians mourn over people killed in an Israeli strike during their funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Alzanoun)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Local hospitals reported that Friday’s toll included two men killed in Gaza City and eight people who died in the southern city of Khan Younis. Officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said the eight victims, including four police officers, were killed after a strike hit a police vehicle.

Palestinians mourn over Al-Tanani family members killed in an Israeli strike, during their funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Alzanoun)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Khalid Al-Tanani, from Beit Lahiya, described a series of strikes that killed his wife and two of their four children in the northern Gaza Strip. "With the first shell, thank God we all survived and were calling out to each other. Then they fired the second, third, and fourth shells one after the other. Their voices fell silent," he said.

Palestinians mourn over Al-Tanani family killed in an Israeli strike, during their funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Alzanoun)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"I went inside and found my wife, Islam Al-Tanani, martyred, and my son, Hamza, and Naya in her mother's arms. I found them martyred," Al-Tanani said. The children who were killed were 4 and 13 years old. One 13-year-old twin and another sibling survived.

Family members wailed as they gathered over the bodies, with Hamza's grandmother crying, "You took my soul with you, Hamza, you took me with you and broke me, Hamza." Al-Tanani said the family had recently begun preparing baby items and clothes for the unborn twins.

Palestinians mourn over Naya Al-Tanani, killed in an Israeli strike, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Alzanoun)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Israel's military said it had targeted militants who threatened troops in the area and that the strike followed warnings to civilians. The military said it struck two militants who threatened forces in Gaza City and did not comment on the Khan Younis strike. The family, however, said the strikes came without prior notice.

Wider Context

Although the heaviest fighting has largely eased, deadly Israeli strikes have repeatedly disrupted a truce that took effect on Oct. 10. The rising Palestinian death toll has led residents to say the war feels as though it has continued unabated.

Israeli forces regularly fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, and militants have launched shooting attacks on troops. Israel says many strikes are in response to such attacks and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israeli strikes have killed more than 790 people since the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was put in place six months ago. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that U.N. agencies and independent experts generally consider reliable, though it does not publish a breakdown separating civilians and militants. Overall, the ministry reports 72,300 Palestinian deaths since the war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.