Israeli strike kills 2 Christian women, lecturer, her mother in new Gaza ceasefire breach

A Christian mother and daughter who served displaced families, and a university lecturer and her mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in Gaza City early Saturday. Medical sources said the four women were among five Palestinians killed in the attack that hit the ground floor of the Al-Asala 1 building near Haidar roundabout in the western Rimal neighborhood, in the latest violation of an ongoing ceasefire agreement. The women were identified as Maysa Abu Daoud, her daughter Mary Najjar, academic Yasmin al-Boubou and her mother, Halloum al-Boubou. Serving displaced families Maysa, known as Umm Michel, and Mary, known as Umm Fouad, were Palestinian Christians from Gaza City who devoted their time to helping parishioners and displaced people sheltering at the Holy Family Church, according to Palestine’s Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs. The committee’s chairman, Ramzi Khoury, described their deaths as a “painful loss” for their families, the church and its parishioners. Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza mourned the women, as did Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who offered condolences to their relatives and Gaza’s Christian community. Their funeral took place Saturday at Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City’s Old City, with prayers, hymns and religious readings. Mary’s son, 14-year-old Fouad al-Najjar, told Anadolu that the strike hit the building at about 1.30 am (2230GMT). “My grandmother and my mother died. May God have mercy on them,” he said. He appealed for an end to the Israeli war, saying people were losing loved ones every day. “We are exhausted by this war and have endured so much,” he said. “For almost three years, we have been living through the same destruction, the same grief and the same war.” Najjar said Israeli attacks had killed Muslims and Christians alike. “The occupation does not distinguish between a Muslim and a Christian. I have personally lost many Muslims and Christians who were dear to me,” he said. Palestinian Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac, who serves in Ramallah and directs the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice, wrote on the US social media company X: “The genocide continues in Gaza.” Israeli attacks have previously struck Christians and church compounds during Tel Aviv’s genocidal war in the enclave. On Oct. 19, 2023, an attack on the Saint Porphyrius Church compound killed at least 18 people. Two months later, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said an Israeli sniper shot dead a woman and her daughter inside the Holy Family parish compound in Gaza. An Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church compound on July 17, 2025, also killed three people and injured others, including parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli. Academic killed Saturday’s victims also included Yasmin al-Boubou, a lecturer in the multimedia department at the University of Palestine’s College of Intermediate Studies in Gaza. She previously headed the university’s Multimedia Technology Department. Official university reports from 2019 identified her in that position, overseeing academic and artistic activities for students. Her biography on the university’s website listed a bachelor’s degree in management computer information systems from Al-Quds Open University and three master’s degrees in management and information systems, computer science and information technology, and sustainable development, specializing in institution building and human development. The biography, covering her qualifications through September 2021, also identified her as a doctoral student in computer science and artificial intelligence at that time. Her 2021 master’s thesis at Al-Quds University examined students’ perceptions of Palestinian universities in Gaza and the factors influencing them. Palestinian academics and rights advocates mourned her killing. Academic Louay Jouda paid tribute on Facebook to Yasmin and her mother, writing that Israel continued to commit “massacres against innocent people.” Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor chairman Ramy Abdu also mourned Yasmin, while academic Iyad al-Qarra described her as a distinguished scholar. Her mother, Halloum, was killed alongside her in the same strike. Verified information about her personal or professional life was not available. Yasmin’s death adds to a long list of killed academics and researchers across Gaza during the war. In a report issued on Sept. 28, 2026, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of around 194 intellectuals, academics and researchers, alongside more than 830 teachers and education workers. ​​​​​​​According to Palestinian figures, Israel has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 in Gaza since Oct. 8, 2023, while around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been destroyed.