Tragedy has struck a family in Gaza as newborn twins lost their lives during an Israeli air strike that targeted their home. The incident occurred when the twins' father was away from the house, visiting a local government office to register the babies' birth.

Upon receiving a distressing call from neighbors, the devastated father discovered that their residence in Deir al Balah had been hit by an Israeli bombing, resulting in the loss of not only his wife but also the grandmother of the newborns.

Expressing his shock and disbelief, the grieving father stated, "I don't know what happened. I am told it was a shell that hit the house." The harrowing incident has left the family and the community reeling from the unimaginable loss.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the ongoing conflict has tragically resulted in the deaths of 115 infants since the beginning of the war.

In an attempt to find safety amidst the escalating violence between Israel and Gaza, the family had followed an evacuation order, relocating from Gaza City to a central part of the strip as instructed by the Israeli army.

The BBC has reached out to the Israeli army for comment on the devastating incident and is awaiting a response. Israel has previously stated that it aims to minimize harm to civilians, attributing civilian deaths to Hamas's presence in densely populated residential areas and the use of civilian buildings as shelter. However, the Israeli army rarely comments on individual strikes.

Regrettably, several such shelters in Gaza have become targets of recent attacks, causing immense distress and loss for the affected families and communities.

In a particularly distressing incident on Saturday, an Israeli air strike targeted a school building in Gaza City that was providing shelter for displaced Palestinians. The attack resulted in the tragic loss of more than 70 lives, as confirmed by the director of a hospital in the area.

Israeli military officials disputed the reported number of casualties but could not provide independent verification of the figures from either side. The military spokesman claimed that the school building served as an active military facility for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, an assertion that Hamas vehemently denied.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in an attack on Israel on 7 October. This incident led to the kidnapping of 251 individuals by Hamas-led gunmen and the subsequent launch of a large-scale Israeli military offensive on Gaza.

As the war continues, the death toll in Gaza has risen significantly, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting more than 39,790 fatalities since the beginning of the Israeli campaign. The Israeli military has not provided any information to refute or confirm Hamas's statement regarding the number of casualties.

In the West Bank, the violence has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians and at least 17 Israelis since October, according to reports from both sides.

As the conflict persists, the tragic loss of innocent lives, including the newborn twins in Gaza, serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of war on civilian populations.