West Bank Family Deaths
Israeli forces killed four members of the Bani Odeh family, including five-year-old Mohammed and seven-year-old Othman, in the West Bank town of Tammun. The Palestinian Health Ministry stated the parents, Ali Khaled Bani Odeh, 37, and Waad, 35, were also killed. Two other children in the car sustained shrapnel wounds. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Israeli forces initially prevented crews from reaching the injured.
The Israeli military stated forces opened fire after the car accelerated toward them, perceiving a threat. A joint statement from the Israeli military and police said the incident is under investigation. One of the surviving children, 12-year-old Khaled, told Reuters he heard his mother crying and father praying before the shooting. He said soldiers shouted "we killed dogs" before beating him.
Rising Casualties in Gaza
In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed 12 Palestinians. Hospital authorities reported the dead included two boys, a pregnant woman, and eight police officers. A strike hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a couple in their 30s, their 10-year-old son, and a 15-year-old neighbor. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed the woman was pregnant with twins. Mahmoud al-Muhtaseb, a neighbor, said there was no prior warning before the strike.
Another strike hit a police vehicle on the Salah al-Din route, killing eight police officers, including Col. Iyad Ab Yousef, according to the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed the toll, adding that 14 others were wounded.
Strike in Lebanon
Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon killed at least four people. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli forces struck an apartment in Sidon, killing one person. In al-Qatrani, three people were killed in another Israeli attack, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. The Israeli military said it struck infrastructure used by Hezbollah, including launch sites in al-Qatrani.
Hezbollah Targeted
The BBC visited the remains of a home in Younine, Lebanon, where eight members of a family, including three children, were killed in an Israeli strike. The Israeli military told the BBC it had targeted "Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure while Hezbollah operatives were present". Neighbors and relatives denied this. A local shepherd said he saw body parts scattered along the road after the explosion. School teacher Hassan al-Tahan said the property belonged to his brother Ali Abbas, who had been hosting the Iftar meal for relatives. Tahan said his relatives were civilians, not Hezbollah operatives.
Calls for Investigation
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the killings in the West Bank, calling them part of a systematic aggression towards Palestinians. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun proposed negotiations with Israel, but Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said there are no plans for direct talks with Lebanon.
The UN's humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said 1,064 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank between October 7, 2023, and March 8, including at least 231 children.
