Gaza Airstrikes Claim 40 Lives Amid Rising Fears of Regional
War
Israeli airstrikes intensified across the Gaza Strip on
Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 Palestinians, according to
local medics, as Israel braces for a potential escalation in the ongoing
conflict. The strikes targeted several areas, including a cluster of houses in
the Al-Bureij camp, where 15 people were killed, and the nearby Al-Nuseirat
camp, where four more lives were lost.
In northern Gaza, an airstrike in Gaza City claimed five
lives, while another strike in Khan Younis in the south resulted in one death
and multiple injuries. Later that day, bombings of two schools in Gaza City’s
Tuffah neighborhood killed 15 Palestinians and injured 30 others. The Israeli
military stated Hamas militants were using these schools as command centers.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants responded with anti-tank
rockets and mortar bombs, causing casualties among Israeli forces operating in
Gaza. The Israeli military reported striking dozens of targets in Gaza,
including rocket launch sites, over the past 24 hours.
The conflict, ignited by Hamas’s cross-border attack on
Israel in October of last year, has led to the deaths of at least 39,699
Palestinians, with over 91,000 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ongoing violence has also raised concerns of a broader regional war, with
Iran and Hezbollah threatening retaliation for recent assassinations of key figures
in their organizations.
Amid the relentless airstrikes, residents in Gaza continued
to mourn and bury their dead, with many forced to flee their homes under
renewed evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The escalating situation
has strained humanitarian efforts, with organizations like the World Central
Kitchen (WCK) losing staff in the violence, further complicating relief
operations in the besieged enclave.
