In yet another day of escalating tragedy in the Gaza Strip, 42 Palestinians were killed between dawn on Friday and the time of this report. Among them, 33 were in Gaza City and the northern areas, following a series of airstrikes and shootings by Israeli forces. Homes, crowded neighbourhoods, and displaced civilians waiting for aid were all targeted.At least 14 people were killed in a single strike on a home in Al-Tuwam, north of Gaza City.
Another four were killed in Jabalia Al-Nazla, and four more in Sheikh Radwan, with additional injuries reported.
In Al-Zaytoun, southern Gaza City, four civilians lost their lives to Israeli shelling.
Two people were killed in Al-Shati refugee camp when a tent sheltering displaced families was hit.
Israeli forces also opened fire on civilians in Al-Jalaa Street, killing two more.
In Rafah, one civilian was killed while waiting for humanitarian aid. Another was killed in Khan Younis.
Additional strikes in Al-Sudaniya and Deir Al-Balah caused more casualties and the death of Muhannad Abu Meiri, who had been injured earlier.
The deliberate targeting of civilian homes, displacement centres, and public spaces has become a consistent practice by the Israeli military. These actions are a direct violation of international humanitarian law, which demands clear distinction between combatants and civilians and prohibits indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks.
Under the 1948 UN Convention, genocide includes acts intended to destroy, in whole or part, a national, ethnic, or religious group. The systematic killing of thousands of civilians in Gaza—most of whom are women and children, alongside deprivation of food, medicine, and shelter, amounts to a clear case of genocide, not mere military action.
With the death toll now in the tens of thousands since 7 October 2023, alongside starvation and denied humanitarian access, what’s happening in Gaza is not a conflict, it is an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. The international community must take urgent action to hold the perpetrators accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and to ensure justice and protection for the Palestinian people.
