At least 19 Palestinians, including four journalists, were killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday as Israeli forces launched a series of deadly strikes across the besieged Gaza Strip on the first day of Eid al-Adha.

According to local sources, the heaviest toll came from Israeli artillery shelling east of Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza, where 10 Palestinians lost their lives and dozens were injured. The densely populated area has been a repeated target of Israeli bombardment throughout the ongoing war, which has entered its 20th month.

In Gaza City, two Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces shelled the Sanafour intersection in the Tuffah neighborhood. The Abu Iskandar area of Sheikh Radwan, northwest of the city, was also struck by Israeli artillery fire.

In the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli drone strike hit a mobile phone charging station among the tents of displaced civilians west of Khan Younis, killing three people and wounding several others. The charging point was one of the few lifelines for families attempting to stay connected in the absence of electricity.

Further south, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on civilians gathered near the GHF humanitarian aid distribution point west of Rafah. At least four people were killed and dozens injured in what witnesses described as an unprovoked massacre.

Simultaneous airstrikes targeted the al-Najjar neighborhood and the al-Katiba area of Khan Younis, compounding the destruction in areas already overwhelmed by displaced families and crumbling infrastructure.

In a stark escalation, four Palestinian journalists were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit the courtyard of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Thursday. The hospital, which has been sheltering wounded civilians and medical teams, has seen repeated attacks throughout the war.

The slain journalists have been identified as Suleiman Hajjaj and Ismail Bdah of Palestine Today TV, journalist Samir Rifai, and photojournalist Ahmad Qalja. Imad Daloul, a correspondent for both Palestine Today and Al Mayadeen Net, remains in critical condition following the strike.

The Gaza Government Media Office confirmed that the toll on media personnel continues to climb, with Yousef Nakhalah, a journalist for Watania News Agency, killed in a separate Israeli strike on May 31.

The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned what it called a “deliberate and systematic campaign” by Israeli forces to target journalists and suppress coverage of war crimes in the Strip. The office called on the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union, and all global press institutions to break their silence and hold Israel accountable for the killing of media workers.

“The killing of journalists is a war crime and a desperate attempt to silence the truth,” the statement read.

Amid relentless bombardments, residents in the Strip are increasingly ignoring Israeli evacuation orders, citing the lack of any truly safe area within the 365-square-kilometer enclave.

Sunday’s carnage once again underlined the scale of civilian suffering as Palestinians attempted to observe Eid al-Adha under fire, grief, and siege. (ILKHA)