The Israeli military has launched a series of airstrikes on northern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 people, most of whom were women and children. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 11 women and two children were among those killed, along with 15 others injured. The strikes, which began late on Saturday, continued into Sunday, despite mounting international pressure to cease hostilities.
The Israeli military claimed that its strikes targeted militant groups in the area, but the attacks have repeatedly hit civilian areas, causing widespread destruction and displacement. The constant barrage of airstrikes has left the civilian population of Gaza in a state of terror, with many taking refuge in UN schools and other shelters.
The war in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has already claimed the lives of over 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The overwhelming majority of those killed were civilians, including women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but says that more than half of those killed were women and children.
Israeli Strikes on Gaza Leave At Least 22 Dead Victims (Image via Getty)
In response to the ongoing conflict, the UN secretary-general António Guterres has accused Israeli authorities of denying most aid deliveries of food and medicine to the besieged territory. The International Committee of the Red Cross has also warned of a “catastrophic situation” in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are struggling to survive in squalid tent camps along the coast.
Meanwhile, an attack on a bus stop near Tel Aviv has left one person dead and more than 30 injured. The attacker, an Arab citizen of Israel, has been taken into custody, and Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group have praised the attack, although they did not claim responsibility for it.
As the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, the world is bracing for the possibility of an all-out regional war between Israel and its allies on one side, and Iran and its militant proxies on the other. The war has already claimed thousands of lives, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and caused widespread destruction and suffering.
