Twenty Palestinians were killed on Friday in a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling carried out by Israeli occupation forces across various areas of the Gaza Strip, in a clear continuation of the pattern of targeting civilian gatherings, particularly those awaiting humanitarian aid, amid what has been described as catastrophic and unliveable conditions.
In northern Gaza, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in an airstrike that targeted civilians waiting for food aid at Al-Nabulsi roundabout, south of Gaza City.
In another location northwest of the city, a fifth Palestinian was killed in a similar attack targeting civilians near the American School, according to medical sources from field ambulance centres.
In Jabalia Al-Balad, in the north of the Strip, a sixth Palestinian was killed in a strike that targeted the vicinity of the Omari Mosque, while Israeli artillery also targeted the Al-Zaytoun and Al-Shuja’iya neighbourhoods in eastern Gaza City, as well as multiple areas within Jabalia refugee camp. Casualty figures remain unclear at the time of reporting, with fears of more dead and injured still trapped beneath the rubble.
In central Gaza, Israeli artillery targeted hungry civilians east of the Al-Mughraqa area near Deir al-Balah, killing nine people who were waiting for aid distribution.
Another Palestinian was killed, and 12 others were injured to varying degrees in a strike that targeted a gathering near the Netzarim checkpoint, one of the few remaining aid distribution points.
Additionally, artillery shelling killed four more Palestinians in the Maki roundabout area of Al-Maghazi refugee camp, where they had gathered in search of food and water.
In the south of the Strip, Israeli occupation forces continued their military operations, striking tents sheltering displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, resulting in multiple injuries.
Khan Younis also witnessed heavy gunfire from Israeli military vehicles, alongside the demolition of homes and concurrent artillery strikes targeting eastern and western parts of the city.
The assaults also extended to areas surrounding Rafah City, where occupation forces continue a large-scale ground invasion accompanied by intense aerial and artillery bombardment, in what field reports describe as a “systematic cleansing” of the population.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel has waged a full-scale war on the Gaza Strip that bears the hallmarks of genocide, targeting all aspects of life, including killing, starvation, forced displacement, and the comprehensive destruction of infrastructure. This campaign has been carried out in flagrant disregard for rulings by the International Court of Justice and international calls to halt military operations targeting civilians.
The total number of Palestinians killed or wounded in this war has exceeded 183,000, the vast majority being women and children. More than 11,000 people remain missing under the rubble, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced amid an escalating famine that has claimed numerous lives, including infants.
The repeated targeting of civilians as they attempt to access food and medicine, under a suffocating blockade that prevents the entry of adequate humanitarian aid, reveals a clear pattern aimed at destroying an entire society, not only through direct killing, but by imposing conditions that make life itself unsustainable.
The continued international silence and failure to take binding action to stop these violations further deepens the crime and raises serious ethical and legal questions about the effectiveness of the international system in protecting populations from genocide.
