Israeli airstrikes early Friday morning claimed the lives of four Palestinians, including an infant and his parents, in a renewed wave of attacks targeting civilian areas in the central and western Gaza Strip, according to local sources.

In one of the deadliest incidents of the day, Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the Hamdan family in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, resulting in the deaths of Rashad Abu Hayya, his wife Safa, and their infant son, Amr. Neighbors and emergency responders reported that the house was completely destroyed in the strike, leaving little chance for survival.

“The entire family was wiped out in a matter of seconds,” a local resident told reporters. “The destruction was total. Emergency crews could barely retrieve the bodies under the rubble.”

In a separate attack, an Israeli drone strike targeted an apartment in Al-Rimal, a residential neighborhood in western Gaza City. The attack killed Jasser Shamieh and injured several others, some critically. The strike caused significant structural damage to the residential building and further traumatized residents who have been enduring continuous bombardment for months.

Simultaneously, Israeli military vehicles opened heavy fire toward the eastern areas of Gaza City, intensifying the already dire security and humanitarian situation on the ground.

Friday’s attacks are part of a broader and sustained military campaign that has engulfed the Gaza Strip since October 2023. According to the latest documented figures from Palestinian health authorities and civil society groups, at least 52,760 Palestinians have been killed, with over 119,264 others injured as a result of Israel’s ongoing offensive.

Thousands more are believed to be trapped under rubble, unreachable by civil defense teams due to the continuous air and ground attacks and the complete collapse of emergency infrastructure in many areas.

Human rights organizations warn that the true death toll could be significantly higher.

Despite repeated calls for a ceasefire by the United Nations Security Council and provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to prevent genocide, the Israeli military operation continues unabated.

The ICJ had instructed Israel to take immediate steps to ensure humanitarian access, prevent further civilian deaths, and halt actions that could constitute genocidal intent. Nevertheless, the bombings have continued, with densely populated civilian neighborhoods, refugee camps, hospitals, and even convoys of humanitarian aid repeatedly coming under fire.

International observers and legal experts have increasingly described the situation in Gaza as one of “unfolding genocide,” with systematic targeting of civilians and critical infrastructure.

The humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate rapidly. The blockade, coupled with relentless airstrikes, has rendered vast parts of the strip uninhabitable. Access to food, clean water, electricity, and medical care is severely limited. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, and more than a million residents have been displaced multiple times.

Humanitarian agencies warn that unless immediate and unrestricted aid is allowed into the enclave, famine, disease, and further mass casualties are inevitable. (ILKHA)