Israeli airstrikes have killed 32 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory reported on Friday. The ongoing conflict, which began more than nine months ago with Hamas's attack on southern Israel, continues as negotiations for a truce and hostage-release deal persist.
Gaza’s health ministry stated, “32 martyrs, a majority of them children and women, were taken to hospitals overnight due to continued massacres by Israeli forces.” Hamas media reported over 70 airstrikes across Gaza, including Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.
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The Israeli military confirmed ongoing operations in Rafah, stating that troops had eliminated numerous terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure in close-quarters combat and aerial strikes. In central Gaza, troops killed militants posing a threat and discovered a weapons production workshop and terrorist funds.
In northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, Israeli aircraft targeted locations from which projectiles were launched into southern Israel. Gaza’s Civil Defence reported finding around 60 bodies in the rubble of Gaza City’s eastern Shujaiya neighborhood, following a two-week Israeli operation that left the area in ruins. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 85 percent of buildings are now uninhabitable, rendering Shujaiya a “disaster zone.”
The Israeli army has called for all residents of Gaza City to leave the area, declaring it a “dangerous combat zone.” The United Nations reported that up to 350,000 people had been staying in the city.
