At least 21 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and dozens more injured on Friday as the Israeli occupation intensified its airstrikes across multiple areas of the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to local sources, the attacks began at dawn and targeted tents, residential homes, and public spaces sheltering displaced families, leaving behind new scenes of devastation and grief in the war-torn enclave.

In the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, Israeli warplanes bombed tents where displaced civilians had sought refuge, killing five Palestinians and wounding several others. The victims were among thousands of families who had been forced from their homes in earlier waves of Israeli bombardment.

In Tel al-Hawa, southwest of Gaza City, another five Palestinians were killed when their home was struck. Rescue workers rushed to pull survivors from the rubble as residents described a scene of “utter destruction.”

Four more Palestinians were martyred in the Sudaniya area northwest of Gaza City, when Israeli forces struck a tent sheltering displaced families. Witnesses said the attack tore through an already overcrowded camp, leaving survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures.

In Al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza, two Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an airstrike on a residential home. Locals reported that entire families remain unaccounted for under the debris.

In Deir al-Balah, the bombardment continued as Israeli aircraft struck Al-Salam Street, killing a Palestinian man and his wife in their home. Later, three more Palestinians were killed by an Israeli drone strike that targeted civilians along Abu Husni Street in the same city.

The latest massacres come amid Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza that began in October 2023. According to updated figures, at least 62,966 Palestinians have been killed and more than 159,266 others injured during the nearly year-long campaign.

Thousands more remain missing, feared trapped beneath the rubble of bombed homes and shelters, while emergency and civil defense crews struggle to reach them due to continued Israeli fire and destroyed infrastructure.

With nearly every neighborhood of Gaza scarred by bombardment, the humanitarian situation has plunged to catastrophic levels. Survivors describe living without adequate food, water, or medical aid, as hospitals operate far beyond capacity.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that Israel’s strikes on homes, refugee camps, and shelters amount to war crimes. Yet, the attacks continue unabated, with Palestinians paying the heaviest price. (ILKHA)