The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 82 Palestinians since dawn on Thursday, including children and women, as a result of intense airstrikes carried out by the Israeli occupation.
These air raids targeted residential homes, displaced persons’ tents, and civilian gatherings in various areas, coinciding with a tour by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Middle East, raising questions about the timing and the political messages accompanying these massacres.
Medical teams were able to recover 25 bodies from under the rubble of homes bombed last night, amid immense difficulties in rescue operations due to ongoing bombardment and the collapse of infrastructure. Over 60 people were seriously injured, while search efforts continue beneath the debris under worsening medical conditions.
In the town of Khuza’a, east of Khan Younis, one Palestinian was killed and others injured, while three more were killed in artillery shelling that targeted the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. The strikes hit homes belonging to the families of Shihab, Nabbahin, Zainati, Samour, Buyouk, Laham, Abu Taima, and Bardawil, according to eyewitness accounts.
The airstrikes were heavily concentrated in the city of Khan Younis, reflecting a deliberate targeting of civilians and densely populated areas, far from frontlines or military sites.
Since 7 October 2023, Gaza has been subjected to an ongoing campaign of genocide, claiming the lives of around 173,000 Palestinians either killed or injured, the majority of whom are women and children. In addition, over 11,000 people remain missing under the rubble or in unknown circumstances, amid full political and military support from the United States for the occupation, in blatant disregard of international humanitarian law and the principles of international justice.
Gaza has been under a crippling blockade for 18 years, leading to the collapse of essential services and the prevention of aid from entering, resulting in famine conditions across the Strip. More than 1.5 million residents have been rendered homeless following the complete destruction of their homes.
What is happening in Gaza is not just a matter of numbers, it is a humanitarian catastrophe that demands urgent international action to stop the massacres, lift the blockade, and hold those responsible for grave violations against civilians to account.
