Scores of Palestinians were killed and wounded early Sunday in Israeli airstrikes on Khan Yunis and Gaza City, as Israeli occupation forces expanded their incursions across the Gaza Strip.
Nine Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured when Israeli aircraft targeted a tent housing displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area and a house in the Al-Amal neighborhood west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, Al-Jazeera reported.
The shelling of the tent killed six civilians, including women and children, while three members of the same family were killed when their home was completely destroyed.
Palestinian sources said that among the dead in Al-Amal was journalist Islam Muqdad.
Meanwhile, Israeli artillery shelled the town of Abasan, east of Khan Yunis. In nearby Rafah, shelling continues, with Israeli forces deploying more troops as part of an ongoing incursion.
Al-Aqsa TV reported that Israeli tanks invading the area opened heavy fire north and east of Rafah. Eyewitnesses said massive explosions rocked the city as Israeli forces demolished residential buildings in the north.
Before dawn on Sunday, Israeli occupation forces launched new bombing operations against buildings north of the city.
In the central Gaza Strip, two Palestinians were killed in an airstrike near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, while many residents fled areas near the Nuseirat camp due to ongoing shelling.
In Gaza City, three Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Shuja’iyya neighborhood.
In recent days, both the Sheja’iyya and al-Tuffah neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City have witnessed intense bombardment, resulting in massacres of civilians and mass displacement.
Two more Palestinians were killed and others wounded when a house was bombed in the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City. Earlier, two citizens were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike near Ain Jalut School in the same neighborhood.
Medical sources told Al-Jazeera that 16 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes since dawn on Sunday alone, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours to 46.
This includes 10 killed in Khan Yunis and others in Gaza City and Rafah. The overall death toll since Saturday morning has reached 41, according to the same sources.
Israeli occupation forces also continued their advance on the outskirts of the Sheja’iyya neighborhood for the second consecutive day, amid aerial and artillery shelling of displaced people and their shelters.
Many families trapped in the area are unable to leave their tents or the rubble of their homes due to the intensity of the shelling, exacerbating already catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
Further north, Israeli forces have been carrying out land-leveling operations and destroying homes in Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun for approximately 17 days. They continue to open fire on residents searching for food and water.
The Israeli army announced on Saturday that its forces had begun their first operations along the so-called Morag axis, which separates Khan Yunis from Rafah. It released footage showing its operations in the area and confirmed that the 36th Division had returned to Gaza operations.
Rising Death Toll
The renewed Israeli violence on March 18 has broken a ceasefire that began on January 19. The latest military actions have killed hundreds of Palestinians and injured many more, primarily civilians, including women and children.
While the violations have been condemned by numerous countries and human rights groups, the US has continued its support for Israel, asserting that the military campaign was carried out with prior knowledge and approval from Washington.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.ù
(PC, AJA)
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