At least 114 Palestinians, including dozens of children, were killed in a wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to health officials and rescue workers.
The attacks mark one of the deadliest days since Israel resumed its offensive nearly two months ago.
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, 56 people were killed overnight, including families sheltering in tents. Nasser Hospital reported its morgue was overwhelmed, with bodies placed in corridors. “Entire families have been wiped from the civil registry,” a local man told BBC Arabic.
The Israeli military claimed the strikes targeted Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters. However, civilians bore the brunt, with casualties reported in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Deir al-Balah. A strike on a prayer hall and health clinic in Jabalia killed 13, including 11 children, while five members of the Shihab family perished in another home strike.
Amid the chaos, Israeli drones dropped leaflets urging residents to evacuate. Tanks continued shelling northern areas where tents shelter thousands. Panic spread as Israel warned of imminent strikes on Gaza City institutions it labeled “terrorist strongholds.”
Meanwhile, a controversial US-Israeli aid plan faces rejection by UN agencies, who decry its deviation from humanitarian norms. With no aid entering Gaza for 10 weeks, famine looms.
Israel’s campaign began after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 and led to 251 hostages. Since then, over 53,000 Palestinians have died, including 2,876 since fighting resumed in March.
