The Israeli occupation forces launched a brutal overnight assault on the Gaza Strip from late Sunday through dawn Monday, killing a family of 18 Palestinians in a strike, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

One of the deadliest strikes targeted a residential home in Jabalia al-Balad, in northern Gaza, where an entire family of 18 people was wiped out in a single Israeli air raid. Elsewhere in North Gaza, Israeli warplanes carried out a wide-scale bombing campaign across multiple areas, including eastern Gaza City, Jabalia, and the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of the city.

In al-Shati refugee camp, located west of Gaza City, four Palestinians were martyred and others wounded after the occupation bombed an area near Martyrs' Square, where residents had gathered to receive aid and shelter.

Meanwhile, in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli aircraft bombed a displacement tent in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, resulting in several casualties. The attack targeted an area previously designated as a “safe zone,” further deepening the humanitarian crisis gripping the territory.

On Sunday alone, Israeli occupation forces killed 68 Palestinians, our correspondent reported. 

Read more: IOF demolish 1,000+ homes, turn West Bank camps into 'lifeless zones'

UN rapporteur condemns targeting of Gaza healthcare

Earlier, Haaretz reported that officers and soldiers in the occupation's army admitted receiving direct orders to open fire on Palestinians gathered near aid distribution centers. According to the report, the soldiers acknowledged that the Palestinians they targeted were unarmed and posed no threat.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 56,400 Palestinians and wounded over 133,000 since October 7, 2023. 

Many of the recent Palestinian casualties were aid-seekers, who were killed near distribution points.

“Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen al-Keetan said.

“The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law,” he concluded.

Read more: UN: Gaza health system facing systematic, deliberate destruction