At Least 37 Palestinians Killed Amid Intensifying Israeli Bombardments in Gaza
Early Friday, Israeli forces killed at least 37 Palestinians across various locations in the Gaza Strip, with Gaza City suffering the heaviest toll. This escalation of violence accompanies Israel’s intensified bombardment and destruction as preparations ramp up for a comprehensive ground invasion, potentially displacing around one million civilians southward, reports 24brussels.
Medical sources indicate that 19 fatalities occurred in Gaza City alone, including 12 victims due to artillery strikes near the Amr Ibn Al As school, a family of five killed within a tent on Al Jalaa Street, and a mother and her child in the besieged Sabra neighborhood.
In the northern region, 12 individuals died at the Al Shati refugee camp, while five more were killed in Khan Younis when Israeli troops opened fire close to Naser Hospital, where countless people seek humanitarian help amid severe malnutrition and famine conditions.
Massive destruction plagues the eastern and southern sectors of Gaza City, especially Zeitoun, complicating rescue operations due to ongoing debris and the threat of further assaults. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Thursday that the plans for a full-scale ground invasion have received approval and could commence in the coming days.
Since August 8, over 50 residential buildings have been targeted, leading to at least 87 deaths, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Since the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, more than 62,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, with over 2,000 fatalities occurring near aid distribution points.
A joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call uncovered that 83% of those killed in Gaza are civilians, according to classified Israeli military data. This civilian casualty rate is among the highest documented in contemporary conflicts, comparable only to the atrocities in Rwanda and Srebrenica, and Russia’s siege of Mariupol. Experts from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program labeled this ratio as “unusually high,” intensifying international scrutiny over potential war crimes and tactics of deliberate starvation.
The global community continues to insist on an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, and accountability for breaches of international law. Concurrently, the number of displaced Palestinians in Gaza has surpassed 796,000 since March, exacerbating what has been described by many as a humanitarian catastrophe.
