At least 23 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and dozens more wounded in intense Israeli airstrikes on the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza since early Sunday morning.
Medical sources reported that Gaza European Hospital received the bodies of eight members of the Ashour family, killed in a strike on their home in the Al-Nasr area, south of Rafah. Two more fatalities from the Al-Hashash family were brought in following a strike on the neighbouring Al-Hashash district. In Al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis, four additional Palestinians were killed in a direct Israeli strike.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, medical teams confirmed receiving nine more bodies after strikes on several residential areas across the city. Eyewitnesses reported that at least six homes were targeted in the latest round of bombings.
The Palestinian Civil Defence announced it had lost contact with one of its teams while they were attempting to rescue a paramedic crew from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, whose ambulance was attacked by Israeli forces in the Al-Baraksat area, west of Rafah.
According to a statement by the Civil Defence, the team was trying to reach wounded civilians when communication was lost, amid continued heavy bombardment in the area.
Israeli forces are also continuing to forcibly displace thousands of Palestinians, this time from the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah. The occupation has issued threats via social media, instructing residents to relocate to the so-called “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi.
However, Al-Mawasi lacks basic infrastructure, with no access to clean water, sanitation, or healthcare, and is plagued by widespread disease and unsanitary conditions. Evacuees face severe difficulties transporting the sick and elderly, as Israeli forces prohibit the use of vehicles.
Since the resumption of Israel’s genocidal war on Tuesday, 634 Palestinians have been killed and 1,172 injured, most of them women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
This escalation represents a serious breach of the ceasefire agreement, which collapsed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to proceed with the second phase under pressure from far-right factions within his government.
The targeting of civilians and vital infrastructure constitutes a grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits attacks on civilians and forced displacement, and obliges occupying powers to ensure the protection of civilians under their control.
Despite growing international condemnation, Israel—backed by the United States—continues its military onslaught, which since 7 October 2023 has resulted in the killing of over 162,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children and women, and the disappearance of more than 14,000 people, many still trapped under the rubble.
These actions amount to genocide and war crimes, demanding urgent international intervention to halt the assault and hold those responsible accountable before international courts.
