Israeli air strikes kill nine Palestinians as Gaza prepares for Eid al-Fitr

As Palestinians prepared to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed at least nine people - including five children.

The dawn attacks struck as families were either asleep or getting ready for Eid celebrations, witnesses told Middle East Eye.

“We were safe in our homes, preparing to welcome Eid despite the pain, the bombs, the destruction, death and displacement,” Mohammad al-Qadi, who lost his sister, nephew and two young cousins in the attack, told MEE.

Originally from Rafah, Qadi and his family were displaced to Khan Younis, where they hoped to be safer.

“At around 1.30am [11.30pm GMT], we were surprised by bombings that shook the entire area,” he said. “We went to social media, Telegram, Facebook and were shocked to see that the strikes hit my sister, her son, her husband and my two cousins. [The Israelis] targeted their tent with what I believe was a drone strike, and my sister, her son and my two cousins were martyred.”

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