In Gaza, 11 members of a Palestinian family are killed in a single strike

Eleven members of the family were killed in a single strike Tuesday, their bodies now buried in two fresh graves on a sandy hilltop cemetery near their homes. The corpses — one man, eight women, a boy and a baby — were shrouded in white, in accord with Muslim custom.

As the conflict rages, displacing hundreds of thousands, U.N. and Palestinian officials say some families have made a macabre calculation: to split up, with each group seeking refuge in different parts of Gaza. If one part of the family gets killed, others will live on to help the survivors and keep their dynasty alive.

Unfortunately, many families have lost whole portions of their family,” said Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which is assisting some 200,000 Palestinians in its 85 schools. “The families gather together as a kind of protection, psychological mostly.. . . It’s a cultural thing. They say, ‘If we die, we die together as a family.’ 

I am against violence and killing from both sides,” Abdul Karim said. “The Israeli children are precious for them. Our children are precious for us.”

He added that he hoped Hamas leaders will meet with other Palestinian factions and work out a lasting cease-fire with Israel. He did not insist, as many Gazans have done in recent days, that a cease-fire must come only if all Palestinian demands are met — or that Hamas should fight Israel until that happens.