Israeli airstrikes kill 79 more Palestinians in Gaza

At least 79 Palestinians were killed and nearly 400 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Among the fatalities, 33 people lost their lives while attempting to collect food and humanitarian aid near distribution points operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group backed by the United States and Israel, according to local health officials.

The death toll is expected to rise, as many people remain trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. Emergency services have been unable to reach several affected areas due to continued aerial bombardments, reports Anadolu Ajansi.

Since Israel resumed its military offensive following a cease-fire violation on March 18, at least 5,838 Palestinians have been killed and over 20,200 injured, the Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed and several injured in a settler attack in the Kafr Malek area near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian medical sources.

The total Palestinian death toll in Gaza has now reached 56,156 since Israel began its military campaign on October 7, 2023. At least 132,639 people have been injured, with women and children making up the majority of casualties. The Health Ministry said more than 15,000 children have been killed in the enclave during this period.

Multiple Strikes Reported Across Gaza

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said Israeli warplanes carried out fresh strikes across central and northern Gaza, killing at least 14 people overnight.

Six people, including a child, were killed in an early morning airstrike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Ten others were killed in separate attacks on Deir al-Balah and the eastern outskirts of Gaza City.

In the Shejaiya neighborhood of eastern Gaza City, 12 people were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli airstrike, according to eyewitnesses cited by Türkiye’s Anadolu Agency.

In southern Gaza, medical teams recovered the body of a young Palestinian from under the rubble in the town of Abasan, east of Khan Younis. Two others were killed in an airstrike targeting a group of people near the Omari Mosque in Jabalia al-Balad, in northern Gaza.

Since May 27, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed or wounded while attempting to access aid supplies, with 4,199 injuries recorded, the Health Ministry reported.

The conflict has displaced over two million people across the Gaza Strip, leaving entire neighborhoods in ruins amid what human rights organizations have described as indiscriminate attacks.

Israeli Military Casualties

The Israeli military says 440 soldiers have been killed in ground operations in Gaza since October, including casualties from recent clashes along the border and in the central corridor of the enclave. Israeli civilian casualties from Hamas rocket fire and infiltration attacks also continue to be reported.

Background and International Legal Proceedings

The war erupted on October 7, 2023, after Hamas and other Palestinian factions launched a cross-border assault into southern Israel, killing 1,195 people and taking 251 hostages. The victims included 736 Israeli civilians—among them 36 children—along with 379 military personnel and 79 foreign nationals.

Israeli authorities say that 53 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with 33 confirmed dead and 20 believed to be alive. Efforts to secure their release remain ongoing.

In a landmark move, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military campaign in Gaza.