Dad went to register birth... 3-day-old twins from Gaza Strip killed in bombing

Deir al-Bala Apartment Bombing
Mother and Grandmother Also Killed

In the Gaza Strip of Palestine, a tragic incident occurred where an apartment was bombed while a father went to register the birth of his twin newborns born three days ago, resulting in the deaths of not only the babies but also their mother and grandmother.

On the 14th (local time), foreign media including the US CNN reported that on the 13th, twin siblings Aisal and Aser, who were three days old, died due to an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. The twins' father, Mohammad Abu Al Kumsan (31), went to a government office to receive the birth certificates of the twins born on the 10th. While he was away from home, his apartment in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza was hit by an Israeli airstrike.

Father Mohammad Abu Al Qumsan (second from left) praying beside the bodies of his twin siblings
Photo by AP Yonhap News

Al Kumsan received a phone call from a neighbor informing him that his twin babies, wife, and mother-in-law had died in the airstrike, and he cried out in disbelief. He rushed to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where the bodies of his wife and babies were kept, confirmed the deceased family members, and wept once again. The deceased family of Al Kumsan was among at least 23 people who died in multiple Israeli attacks in the area.

Al Kumsan told CNN, "I moved to an apartment in Deir al-Balah to desperately protect my pregnant wife from Israel's ruthless bombing of Gaza, but this happened." He married his pharmacist wife in July last year, before the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas broke out. After the war started, the couple was ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate Gaza City within weeks and sought a new residence, where this tragedy occurred. Al Kumsan's wife, who gave birth to the twins by cesarean section, posted on Facebook after the birth announcing the twins' arrival, calling it a "miracle."

The Gaza Strip Ministry of Health announced that since the war in October last year, 40,000 Palestinians have died due to Israeli attacks in Gaza. This includes 115 newborns and 16,500 children. On the 8th, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated, "The ruthless war in Gaza continues to terrify thousands of children," and "At least 17,000 children have been separated from their families or are living without caregivers."