Israeli strike kills 4 women in Gaza, including church volunteers, lecturer

An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood killed four women early Saturday, including two Palestinian Christians who aided displaced families at Holy Family Church and a university lecturer with her mother, medical sources said.

Strike hits residential building

The strike hit the ground floor of the Al-Asala 1 building near Haidar roundabout at approximately 1:30 am local time, killing five Palestinians.

The four women were identified as Maysa Abu Daoud, known as Umm Michel, and her daughter Mary Najjar, known as Umm Fouad, alongside academic Yasmin al-Boubou and her mother, Halloum al-Boubou.

Christian volunteers killed

Maysa and Mary 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. Ramzi Khoury, the committee's chairman, described their deaths as a "painful loss" for their families, the church and its parishioners.

Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa also mourned the women, offering condolences to 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 while they slept. "My grandmother and my mother died. May God have mercy on them," he said, appealing for an end to the war. "We are exhausted by this war and have endured so much," he added. "The occupation does not distinguish between a Muslim and a Christian. I have personally lost many Muslims and Christians who were dear to me," Najjar said.

University lecturer targeted

Saturday's victims also included Yasmin al-Boubou, a lecturer in the multimedia department at the University of Palestine's College of Intermediate Studies who previously headed the university's Multimedia Technology Department. She held multiple degrees in management information systems, computer science and sustainable development, according to her university biography, which listed her as a doctoral student in computer science and artificial intelligence.

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.

Pattern of attacks on civilians

The attack marked the latest violation of an ongoing ceasefire agreement and continued a pattern of strikes affecting Christian institutions and educated professionals in the enclave. Palestinian Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac wrote on social media platform X that "the genocide continues in Gaza."

Israeli attacks have previously struck Christians and church compounds during the war, including an October 2023 attack on the Saint Porphyrius Church compound that killed at least 18 people and a July 2025 strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church compound that killed three people. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, around 194 intellectuals, academics and researchers have been killed alongside more than 830 teachers and education workers since the war began on Oct. 8, 2023.