News | International
11 Feb 2025 12:29
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > International

    Man has nine relatives killed in IDF air strike as Gaza is pummeled ahead of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

    Amer al-Sultan has been covering the war in Gaza as a reporter, but this week he became the story when nine members of his family were killed in an IDF strike two days before the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was due to begin.


    Amer al-Sultan is showing off images of his smiling relatives on his phone.

    Sitting on a bench in Deir Al-Balah, in Gaza's south, he explains who they are and where they fit on his family tree.

    He stops swiping when a montage of multiple faces fills the screen.

    "That's a picture of all the ones who have died," Mr Al-Sultan says. "My mother, my sister, my brother, his children and the children of my sister."

    "That one is two years old," he says, pointing to his nephew, Ahmed.

    On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that many hope will bring to an end the 15-month war in Gaza.

    It doesn't come into effect until 8:30am local time on Sunday (5:30pm AEDT), and the days leading up to it have been deadly for Palestinians.

    Mr Al-Sultan says nine of his relatives were killed in an air-strike on the family's home in Jabalia, in Gaza's north, on Friday. 

    The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has continued its attacks in Gaza since the deal was announced. Hamas has also fired on Israel.

    On Thursday, Gaza's health ministry said 81 people had been killed in Israeli attacks. It said 88 people were killed on Friday and 23 people were killed on Saturday.

    Mr Al-Sultan had not seen his mother since the war began because they were in different parts of the besieged territory, and Israel's aerial bombings and ground operation means movement has been restricted for residents there.

    "My mother is the pillar, she is the soul [of our family]. She is everything in this life. She was hoping that a ceasefire will bring us all together," Mr Al-Sultan said.

    "I cannot believe she is gone. I cannot believe it. All night long, I was thinking it is impossible she is gone."

    According to Gaza's health ministry, 46,889 people have been killed in the territory by Israeli attacks since the war began on October 7, 2023. Humanitarian organisations say millions have been displaced.

    Mr Al-Sultan, 31, has been working as a journalist covering the situation.

    "Among all the massacres, I had never thought my parents would be part of a terrible story. It never crossed my mind," he said.

    Over the border, Israelis have reported hearing the IDF attacks on Gaza from around 50 kilometres away — something unusual over the course of the war.

    "Even since they announced there would be a ceasefire agreement, we have been able to hear the Israeli bombings in Gaza," said Shahda Ibn-Bari, an Israeli lawyer living in the city of Be'er Sheva, some 40km from the away from the Gaza Strip.

    "We hear it mainly at night. It's very loud."

    Hostage, prisoner exchange looms

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a televised address just after 8pm local time on Saturday (4am AEDT Sunday), claiming the ceasefire was temporary and that his country could resume its attacks on Gaza in the future "if needed".

    The complicated ceasefire agreement contains multiple stages.

    As part of the first one, Hamas has pledged to release 33 hostages it took during its October 7 attack that sparked the war in 2023, although not all are thought to be alive.

    In exchange, Israel will free 737 Palestinian prisoners from its jails. It will also release 1,167 Palestinians detained by the IDF during its ground offensive in Gaza.

    While the fighting is due to stop on Sunday morning, the first exchange is not expected to take place until late afternoon when Hamas releases three female hostages — who are all civilians — and Israel frees 95 prisoners.

    Under phase one of the deal, more hostages and prisoners will be released each weekend and the IDF will, eventually, dismantle its positions in Gaza and withdraw.

    It's estimated there are about 100 hostages being held in the territory, and getting them all out is expected to be a protracted process.

    Israel's cabinet formally agreed to the ceasefire deal after a marathon meeting that began on Friday afternoon and extended into the early hours of Saturday morning.

    Multiple opinions polls published in Israeli media in the past week claim a majority of people in the country support the ceasefire deal.

    However, it has been a controversial issue within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, with right-wing ministers threatening to quit if it was accepted.

    Less than 24 hours before the ceasefire was due to take effect, bombings continued in Gaza, while air-raid sirens sounded around Isael, and bangs could be heard in the skies over Jerusalem, as the country's missile defence system intercepted an attack launched from Yemen.

    The IDF said it was launched by the Houthi Islamist militant group, which has been firing at Israel in solidarity with Hamas. 

    After 15 months of war, the exchanges underscored that while a ceasefire was approaching, it had not yet arrived.

    It can't come quickly enough for Mr Al-Sultan, who is unable to access the site of what used to be his family home.

    He's relying on people in northern Gaza to send him information.

    Now, the snaps of smiling relatives on his phone are punctuated by the devastating updates.

    "I received this picture from one of my colleagues in the north," Mr Al-Sultan said.

    "My mother is still under the rubble, they could not pull her out."

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

     Other International News
     11 Feb: Israeli police seize books during raid on East Jerusalem bookshop run by Palestinian family
     11 Feb: Experts on how to bring passion and purpose back to your personal life
     11 Feb: Metropolitan Police response criticised at Sam Kerr's racially aggravated harassment trial in London
     11 Feb: Hamas suspends hostage releases as 'warning' over alleged ceasefire breaches
     11 Feb: Trafficking and crime will rise after US foreign aid freeze, experts say
     10 Feb: Taylor Swift booed by some fans at Super Bowl as Donald Trump adds to pile-on
     10 Feb: Super Bowl 2025 five quick hits: Travis Kelce can't catch a break and Serena Williams makes a cameo with Kendrick
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni has praised his side for defying the odds to beat Kansas City and win Super Bowl LIX More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    A boost for Christchurch airport's decarbonisation ambitions - with a new hydrogen testing facility unveiled More...



     Today's News

    International:
    Hamas suspends hostage releases as 'warning' over alleged ceasefire breaches 12:27

    Entertainment:
    Jeff Daniels keeps collections of hundreds of newspapers slamming his 'Dumb and Dumber' movie 12:12

    Business:
    A boost for Christchurch airport's decarbonisation ambitions - with a new hydrogen testing facility unveiled 11:57

    Entertainment:
    Travis Barker's youngest son may be following in his father's music career footsteps 11:42

    Politics:
    A senior National Minister believes a disagreement between David Seymour and the Prime Minister is no big deal 11:17

    National:
    How the brain can miraculously switch off pain 11:17

    Law and Order:
    Israeli police seize books during raid on East Jerusalem bookshop run by Palestinian family 11:17

    Entertainment:
    Justin Theroux's fiancée Nicole Brydon Bloom has opened up about the early stages of their relationship - describing their time as friends before dating as "really nice" 11:12

    International:
    Experts on how to bring passion and purpose back to your personal life 10:47

    Law and Order:
    Police say they're making good progress on investigations into a woman being found critically injured, in a Christchurch park 10:47


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd