Israeli air raids have wreaked havoc on Gaza, claiming the lives of dozens, including children, marking the 44th day of relentless bombardment. Palestinian officials report at least 31 casualties in attacks on the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps in central Gaza.
Disturbingly, a woman and her child fell victim to strikes in southern Khan Younis city. Additionally, Israeli forces shot and killed two individuals, including a disabled man, during incursions in the occupied West Bank. The disabled man, Issam al-Fayed, aged 46, lost his life at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp, while 20-year-old Omar Laham was killed at the Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem.
The recent onslaught follows devastating assaults on schools and refugee camps in northern Gaza. Al Fakhoura school in the Jabalia refugee camp suffered an attack that claimed the lives of at least 50 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Witnesses describe horrifying scenes, with corpses of women and children scattered on the ground.
Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst for Al Jazeera, likened Al Fakhoura school to the “al-Shifa of schools,” emphasizing its repeated targeting by Israeli forces. Meanwhile, al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, witnessed hundreds fleeing on foot on orders from the Israeli army, amid loud explosions around the complex.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, expressed deep concern, with its head, Philippe Lazzarini, describing “horrifying images” and Egypt denouncing the bombing as a “war crime” and “a deliberate insult to the United Nations.”
A World Health Organization assessment team revealed that 291 patients, including 32 critically ill babies, remained at al-Shifa Hospital. Since the surprise attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7, Israel’s devastating air and ground assault on Gaza has resulted in a reported 11,500 casualties, with over a third being children. The 44-day conflict has displaced 1.5 million Palestinians, causing widespread destruction and a dire humanitarian crisis, according to aid workers.
