Pregnant Woman Among More Than 10 Killed in Israeli Attacks on Gaza

A pregnant Palestinian woman named Iman Shalouf, 27, died on Saturday after she was shot in the head while sitting inside her family's tent near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. She was almost eight months pregnant and had already chosen a name for her baby boy — Ayoub — who was due in November. Doctors at Nasser Hospital detected the unborn baby's heartbeat when Shalouf arrived, but both she and her baby died a few hours later. Her death came as Israeli attacks across Gaza killed more than 10 people in 48 hours.

Family members and witnesses said Shalouf was sitting in her tent in the al-Mawasi area when she was struck by a bullet. Her mother-in-law, Wathfa abu Mashi, said she had been praying when she first heard gunfire. 'My daughter asked me, Where is Iman? I told her she was in her tent,' Wathfa said. 'She went to check on her and found her covered in blood after she was hit by a bullet.'

Iman's husband, Ismail abu Mashi, was heartbroken and angry after losing his wife and unborn child. He asked, 'Where is the ceasefire they keep talking about? There is no such thing. There is killing every day.' Relatives and community members gathered at Nasser Hospital to hold funeral prayers before the burial. Iman and her baby were buried side by side in Khan Younis.

The Gaza health ministry reported that 10 Palestinians were killed and 56 others wounded in Israeli attacks in the previous 48 hours. Those attacks included artillery shells and gunfire in many parts of northern, central, and southern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces told the Guardian they were looking into the incident involving Shalouf. They have not publicly commented on the other specific attacks.

Among the other people killed was a family of four in Beit Lahiya, a city in northern Gaza. Momen Ahmed, his wife Haneen Saleh, and their daughters Lana, 12, and Bana, 8, died when their home was struck on Thursday night. Six other Palestinians were also reported killed in Khan Younis and Gaza City on Friday. One of those was a man who died from wounds received in an earlier attack.

Several more people were wounded in attacks across Gaza during the same period. On Friday, two people were seriously hurt in Beit Lahiya, and three others — including a pregnant woman and a child — were injured by gunfire there. On Saturday, nine people were hurt when a tent for displaced people in al-Mawasi was hit by a shell, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. On Sunday, two Palestinians were killed and others injured when a vehicle was struck in Gaza City.

The United Nations children's agency UNICEF reported that at least seven children were killed between August 23 and September 2. Many others suffered serious injuries during that time, including life-changing wounds. The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said Israeli airstrikes 'continue killing and wounding Palestinians.' They also reported that a building was struck less than 250 feet from one of their clinics.

Life in Gaza has become very hard for more than 2.1 million people living there. The United Nations said most residents are facing the rainy season in crowded camps where floods and disease are serious risks. On August 31, a temporary stop in desalination — removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable — cut off clean water for about one million people. Several hospital generators have also stopped working due to shortages of fuel and spare parts.

Since a ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025, Gaza's health ministry says 1,369 Palestinians have been killed and 4,627 have been wounded. Since Israel's war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, at least 73,783 Palestinians have been killed and 174,738 wounded. The violence has continued even as international organizations call for a lasting peace. Families like Iman Shalouf's are left to grieve while the conflict goes on around them.