In the early hours of Monday, March 18, 2025, Israel resumed its genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip with a series of intense airstrikes targeting densely populated civilian areas, including camps for the displaced, killing nearly 500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Among the attacks was a devastating strike on a residential building in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, which resulted in the death of nine civilians from the same family, including six children, on the first morning of Eid al-Fitr. The victims were celebrating the holiday when the building was hit without warning, burying them under rubble in full view of surviving relatives and neighbors.
This massacre comes after a two-month ceasefire that Israel has continuously violated, using the pause to reinforce its total siege on Gaza—a siege that has now triggered a state of famine, widespread disease, and the near-total collapse of all basic services, particularly healthcare. The health sector in Gaza has been rendered entirely dysfunctional, incapable of treating even simple injuries or illnesses due to the destruction of infrastructure, lack of fuel, and depletion of medical supplies.
At least 1.1 million people are currently in catastrophic hunger conditions (IPC-5), the highest classification for food insecurity, while one in three children under two years old in northern Gaza is suffering from life-threatening malnutrition. Entire families are surviving on animal fodder and contaminated water.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, over 48,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 110,000 wounded, most of them civilians. The deliberate starvation, bombing of residential neighborhoods, targeting of hospitals and shelters, and obstruction of humanitarian aid all constitute acts of genocide and crimes against humanity under international law.
Despite global appeals to stop the violence, Israel continues its crimes with complete impunity, aided and shielded by powerful allies. It has ignored rulings from the International Criminal Court, defied the International Court of Justice, dismissed UN Security Council resolutions, and shown open contempt for the United Nations itself—all while enjoying unwavering political, military, and financial support from the United States and the European Union, which shield it from accountability and enable its crimes.
The unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza places a heavy moral and legal responsibility on the international community. The ongoing genocide and famine demand immediate and meaningful action to stop the bloodshed, lift the siege, ensure unrestricted humanitarian access, and hold those responsible to account. Continued inaction will only deepen the suffering of millions and further undermine the credibility of international law and global institutions.
