Israeli Strikes on Gaza: A Tragic Reality
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed 11 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.
Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents. Other strikes killed a child and a man riding a bicycle, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. In northern Gaza, an Israeli strike killed a 16-year-old boy, according to the Indonesian Hospital.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month-old war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the latest strikes.
The Human Cost of Conflict
Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine, and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Aid groups say food supplies are running low, and hunger is widespread.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Ongoing Challenges and International Response
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel’s actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour that will not include Israel.
In a separate development, Israel said it retrieved the remains of a soldier killed in a 1982 battle in southern Lebanon after he had been classified as missing for more than four decades.
“For many long years, I have authorized numerous covert operations to locate the missing from Sultan Yaaqoub, and I promised the Feldman family that I would never stop working to bring their son home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
