JERUSALEM – Gaza City witnessed another scene of horror as Israeli airstrikes claimed lives of at least 50 people, including many women and children, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
The intensifying assault comes amid Israel’s push to capture city, one of Hamas’s last strongholds after devastating October 2023 attack that ignited the current war.
Eyewitnesses called it “nothing but body parts” at the site of a single strike in northwest Gaza City that killed dozens. Al-Shifa hospital overflowed with mourners praying over the dead, including children, wrapped in small white shrouds.
Despite repeated warnings to evacuate, Gaza residents have nowhere safe to flee. Southern areas, designated as temporary shelters, have also come under fire, leaving hundreds of thousands trapped in a humanitarian nightmare. The UN warns that evacuating the city’s one million residents could have catastrophic consequences.
International powers are sounding the alarm. Britain, France, and Germany demanded an “immediate” halt to the offensive, condemning the destruction of critical infrastructure and mounting civilian casualties.
The attack also raises fears for hostages still held by Hamas, with families warning that Israel’s planned operations could put them at grave risk.
Since the October conflict began, over 64,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died, according to Gaza’s health ministry, a staggering toll in a city on the brink of famine.
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