Watch CBS News

Suburban Chicago man says Israeli airstrikes killed several of his relatives in Gaza

Suburban Chicago man says Israeli airstrikes killed several of his relatives in Gaza
Suburban Chicago man says Israeli airstrikes killed several of his relatives in Gaza 00:55

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (CBS/AP) -- A suburban man is mourning relatives killed in Gaza – and he is not even sure yet how many.

Mohammed Abu Realh said his brothers-in-law, their wives, and their children were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

During a community gathering Tuesday night in Bridgeview to honor and pay respect to the families, Realh spoke about the anxious wait for word about his other family members still trapped in Gaza.

"They sent me a message in the morning to say, 'Thanks to God, we have one more day that we're still alive,'" he said. "The savagery we get every single day, because you expect your family to be eliminated from the earth every single night - every single minute."

He said he believes 33 relatives were killed so far, and five or six are still missing.

More than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and minors, the Associated Press reported, citing numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry.

The director of Gaza's Indonesian hospital told Al Jazeera that at least 50 Palestinians were killed and 150 were hurt after Israel struck the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza Tuesday. The Israeli military says the airstrike also took out a top Hamas commander and key planner of the Oct. 7 attack.

Meanwhile, despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to facilitate the release of captives or end the war. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.