Gaza: Israeli airstrikes on tents and homes of displaced people leave dozens dead

The intense Israeli airstrikes on various areas of the Gaza Strip continued in recent hours, in an unprecedented escalation that particularly focused on the city of Gaza, amid rising numbers of dead and injured, and warnings of an impending humanitarian disaster.

Local sources reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in the Abu Iskander area, resulting in casualties among civilians, as well as large fires breaking out at the targeted site.

The airstrikes also hit the tents of displaced people west of the city, while neighborhoods such as Sheikh Radwan and Al-Jalaa witnessed evacuation operations under a barrage of bullets and smoke bombs fired by Israeli forces.

In Deir al-Balah in the center of the Strip, a journalist reported that Israeli warplanes bombed an inhabited house inside the camp, leading to the deaths of several Palestinians and injuring others with varying degrees of wounds.

The southern areas were not spared from the attacks, as the airstrikes included sites classified internationally as "humanitarian areas," which sparked widespread criticism from human rights organizations.

In Khan Younis, the airstrikes targeted the tents of displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, resulting in the deaths of at least five Palestinians and injuring several others, some in critical condition, according to medical sources.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the number of Palestinian deaths in the past 24 hours has risen to 78, with the toll likely to increase as the bombardment continues and the chances of rescuing those trapped under the rubble diminish.

Residents in the city of Gaza reported that families began fleeing their homes towards the western coast of the city, escaping the ongoing bombardment that targeted the neighborhoods of Shuja'iyya, Zaytoun, and Sabra in the eastern part of the city.

Eyewitnesses spoke of tragic scenes of entire families carrying what remains of their belongings under continuous bombardment.

It seems that the Israeli army is preparing for complete control over the city of Gaza, the largest urban gathering in the Strip, as international voices calling for a halt to military operations grow louder, warning of a humanitarian disaster that could lead to the displacement of nearly a million Palestinians who sought refuge in the city over the past months.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.

Although most hostages were later released through negotiations, 50 hostages remain captive, and it is believed that only 20 of them are still alive.

Since the outbreak of the war, Israel has launched a wide-ranging military campaign on the Gaza Strip, claiming it targets the infrastructure of Hamas.

However, the results have been catastrophic for civilians, as Israeli forces destroyed vast areas of the Strip, causing the displacement of most of its approximately two million residents.

According to health authorities in Gaza, the number of Palestinian deaths has exceeded 62,000, the majority of whom are women and children, while the exact numbers of militants who fell during the battles have not been accurately determined.

Amid the ongoing bombardment and rising casualty numbers, warnings from international organizations have intensified that the situation in Gaza is nearing complete collapse, with severe shortages of food, water, and medicine, and widespread disruption of health and relief services.

The international community is facing increasing pressure to intervene and halt the escalation, yet the political horizon remains unclear, as Israel insists on its military operations, with no clear prospect for ending the war that has been ongoing for more than 22 months.