Israeli airstrikes in the central Gaza Strip have claimed the lives of 25 Palestinians, including a family of eight with six children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The strikes occurred in Deir el-Balah, where the family was reportedly sleeping when an Israeli missile struck their home, flattening the entire building.
“My daughter, her husband, and their six children were taken by surprise while sleeping peacefully,” said Mohammed Awad Khattab, the grandfather of the children. “The entire house was flattened, and they were all killed.”
The ongoing Israeli offensive, now in its tenth month, has resulted in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths across Gaza. The situation in the besieged territory continues to worsen, with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reporting that so-called “humanitarian zones” have shrunk to just 11 percent of the Strip, creating further chaos and fear among the displaced population.
Meanwhile, violence is also escalating in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people, including a woman and her two children, in the Nabatieh area. In a related development, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that three of its peacekeepers were injured by an explosion near their vehicle in the village of Yarine, also in southern Lebanon. The peacekeepers were on a clearly identified mission when the incident occurred. UNIFIL reminded the warring parties of their responsibility to avoid harm to peacekeepers and civilians.
As the conflict drags on, the Gaza Health Ministry has reported that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 40,000 since the start of the war on 7 October last year. In the past 24 hours alone, at least 25 more people have been killed, and the total number of wounded now exceeds 92,000. The ministry’s reports do not differentiate between civilians and combatants, and Hamas has not disclosed the number of its fighters lost in the conflict.
As Israeli airstrikes intensify in Gaza and Lebanon, international calls for a ceasefire grow louder, though US diplomatic efforts offer only a glimmer of hope.
