Gaza Father's Agony: Twins, Wife Killed in Israeli Strike Just Days After Birth

A Palestinian father's joy at the birth of his twins was brutally cut short when he learned that his newborns and wife had been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza. Mohamed Abu Al-Qomasan had been racing to collect the birth certificates of his four-day-old twins, Ayssel and Asser, when he received the devastating news.

Abu Al-Qomasan told NBC News that he and his family had sought shelter in an apartment building in central Gaza, hoping to stay safe during Israel's military offensive. However, on Tuesday, the building was hit in what local officials said was an Israeli strike, killing his wife, Joumana Arafa, their twins, and Arafa's mother.

The father was seen wailing and mourning with loved ones over the covered bodies of his family. The Gaza Civil Defense Agency said Israeli shelling had hit a group of apartment buildings in the area, while the Israel Defense Forces said the details of the incident were not currently known.

The deaths of Abu Al-Qomasan's family bring the total number of children killed in the conflict to thousands, with at least 115 newborns killed since the war began, according to local health officials. The international community has accused Israel of genocidal acts in its deadly offensive, which it launched in response to a Hamas terror attack on October 7.