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Gaza under fire: Intensified Israeli strikes kill civilians overnight

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
19 Apr 2025 02:10
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Israeli forces intensified attacks across the Gaza Strip, killing multiple civilians and wounding dozens. The attacks add to a long list of Israeli war crimes amid a deepening humanitarian disaster in Palestine.

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Palestinians mourn by the shrouded bodies of martyrs, including children, killed by Israeli strikes in Jabalia, as they lie at the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestine, on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli occupation forces have escalated their military operations across the Gaza Strip, launching a wave of air and drone strikes that have left numerous civilians martyred and many more wounded, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

The latest overnight attacks deepened the already dire humanitarian crisis in Palestine, as multiple children fell victim to the Israeli strikes.

Israeli strikes devastate civilian areas in Gaza

In Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip, four civilians — including two children and a young girl — were killed when an Israeli airstrike targeted a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi area. A separate drone strike near the British field hospital in the same district claimed another four lives and caused multiple injuries.

Israeli drones also struck a tent sheltering displaced people near the Al-Amal Hotel in western Gaza City, killing two people and injuring four. Additional casualties were reported in a subsequent attack on another tent in the al-Mawasi region, which continues to be a haven for displaced families.

Multiple attacks reported across the Gaza Strip

The bombardment extended to residential neighborhoods. In the Khan Younis refugee camp, an Israeli airstrike on the home of the Abu Shamala family resulted in the death of one person and injuries to 20 others — 15 of them children, according to an initial toll. A previous attack on the same residence had already wounded 14 people, including 12 children and two women.

In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes targeted the vicinity of al-Sikka Street in the al-Zeitoun neighborhood, while artillery shelling struck the al-Shujaiya area to the east. Al Mayadeen’s correspondent noted that Gaza has endured simultaneous aerial, ground, and naval assaults over the past two hours, reflecting a broad and sustained offensive across the Strip.

Mounting civilian deaths add to Israeli acts of genocide

The ongoing attacks come amid worsening humanitarian conditions, with displaced populations increasingly targeted across the Gaza Strip. Human rights organizations and Palestinian officials are sounding alarms over the situation in Gaza.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Friday that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening at an unprecedented rate.

According to the agency, more than 90,000 forcibly displaced Palestinians are currently sheltering in 115 UNRWA-run facilities, as Israeli bombardment and a crippling blockade continue to escalate the catastrophe.

UNRWA highlighted that the ban on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, ongoing since March 2, has significantly deepened the suffering of civilians in Gaza. The blockade has further deteriorated both living conditions and access to healthcare across the Strip.

Forced displacement continues to rise following the collapse of the ceasefire, with UN estimates indicating that nearly 420,000 people have been newly displaced, bringing the total number to over 1.9 million individuals, approximately 90% of Gaza’s population, based on earlier reports.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that 51,065 Palestinians have been killed and 116,505 injured in the Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023.