Israeli bombs tear through Gaza City, killing displaced families
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Israeli occupation forces level neighborhoods across Gaza City, with artillery and airstrikes demolishing homes and fueling fears of total collapse in the Strip.
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Palestinian son Wasem Attiya pushes his father, Mohamed, 54, in a wheelchair as they head to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City for a dialysis session, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP)
The Israeli occupation forces intensified their bombardment of Gaza City on Thursday morning, unleashing heavy strikes across the northern part of the Strip and inflicting more casualties among Palestinians.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, four people, including three children, were killed when Israeli aircraft struck a tent sheltering forcibly displaced families near the Abu Mazen roundabout in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of the city.
Additional fatalities and injuries were reported after Israeli warplanes targeted tents housing displaced Palestinians near the Italian Tower in the al-Nasr neighborhood, west of Gaza City.
In a separate attack, several Palestinians were killed, others wounded, and some remain missing after an Israeli strike hit a home in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of the city.
Our correspondent also noted that intense Israeli artillery shelling struck the al-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza, coinciding with the demolition of multiple residential buildings.
Meanwhile, in the south, Israeli occupation forces carried out a large-scale demolition in the al-Satar area, north of Khan Younis, adding to the devastation across the Strip.
The assault comes as part of Operation “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” which the Israeli occupation says is aimed at occupying Gaza City.
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UN says 21,000 Gaza children disabled since war began in 2023
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) sounded the alarm on Wednesday over a growing disability crisis in Gaza, reporting that the ongoing war has left tens of thousands of children permanently injured.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 40,500 children have sustained new injuries, and over half of them are now living with disabilities. "There are at least 21,000 children with disabilities in Gaza as a result of impairments acquired since October 7, 2023," the committee said.
The committee raised concerns that evacuation instructions issued during "Israeli military operations were often inaccessible" to people with hearing or visual impairments, rendering escape "impossible." "Reports also described people with disabilities being forced to flee in unsafe and undignified conditions, such as crawling through sand or mud without mobility assistance," it added.
The humanitarian response has deteriorated sharply. What was once a UN-led system with nearly 400 distribution points has been replaced by a private US- and "Israel"-backed initiative operating only four centers across Gaza. Many residents are unable to reach these locations due to destroyed infrastructure, debris, or the loss of mobility aids.
"People with disabilities faced severe disruptions in assistance, leaving many without food, clean water, or sanitation and dependent on others for survival," the committee warned.
The report noted that 83% of disabled people had lost their mobility devices, with wheelchairs, crutches, splints, and prosthetics largely unavailable. These items remain blocked from entering Gaza as "Israel" classifies them as "dual-use" materials, a designation that excludes them from humanitarian shipments.
Between October 2023 and August 2025, at least 157,114 people were injured in Gaza, with more than a quarter at risk of lifelong impairments, according to the committee. It called for "massive humanitarian aid to persons with disabilities" and urged all parties to adopt measures to prevent "further violence, harm, deaths, and deprivation of rights."
The review also pressed "Israel" to ensure evacuation plans take into account the needs of disabled people and to guarantee that those displaced are able to "return safely to their homes and are assisted in doing so."
Read more: Gaza home to largest number of amputee children in modern history: UN
Wider humanitarian concerns
Independent medical and humanitarian organizations have reported parallel findings: children now make up a significant proportion of Gaza’s amputees and trauma patients, with hospitals overwhelmed by blast injuries.
Thousands of young amputees face little access to rehabilitation or prosthetics, and only a fraction of medical needs are being met as Gaza’s health system buckles under shortages of supplies and staff.
Rights groups further warn that people with disabilities face multiple layers of hardship, limited access to education, healthcare, and aid, alongside heightened risks during forced displacement.
Many who lost their assistive devices in bombardments or rubble remain effectively stranded, dependent on others for survival.
