During the Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, called "Operation Cast Lead", 1417 Palestinians were killed, of which 926 were civilians, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
On 6 January 2009, the family home of Hussein Deeb, where many civilians had taken refuge, was hit by Israeli shells. 14 family members were hit, of which 11 died.
