Civilian casualties mount in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes target homes and schools
A series of Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments across the Gaza Strip last night and early this morning have resulted in significant civilian casualties.
Local sources report that eight civilians, including children, were killed in an airstrike targeting a residence of the Abu Shakian family in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Another airstrike hit the home of the Abu Hasanein family in the Bureij refugee camp, also in central Gaza, killing six family members.
Further casualties occurred when Israeli airstrikes targeted a school housing displaced persons in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of two civilians. Artillery shells also struck the southern part of the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City.
Israeli jets conducted multiple airstrikes in Al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis, and artillery fire hit several locations west of Rafah. In addition, Israeli military vehicles engaged in gunfire in various areas. The vicinity of the Beit Hanoun crossing, Qleibo area, and the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza also came under artillery shelling.
In Rafah, paramedics rushed several injured individuals to Kuwait Specialized Hospital after an Israeli drone targeted a group of young men in the Shakoush area with a bomb.
Since the onset of Israeli operations in Gaza in October 2023, over 38,848 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed. Preliminary figures indicate that more than 89,459 people have been injured, with thousands still trapped under rubble. (ILKHA)