At least 23 Palestinian civilians, including a mother and her six children, were killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning as Israeli forces intensified their relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

The devastating airstrike targeted the family’s home west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, reducing it to rubble and leaving no survivors.

The administrations of Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals reported receiving the bodies of seven civilians, including a child, and treating 10 others wounded after Israeli forces attacked gatherings near an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din Street, south of Wadi Gaza. The assault on civilians seeking humanitarian aid underscores the dire situation in Gaza, where access to basic necessities remains severely restricted.

In another tragic incident, Israeli aircraft bombed a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Al-Zawayda, central Gaza, while three bodies were recovered near Palestine Stadium in western Gaza City. Meanwhile, a child succumbed to malnutrition and lack of medical treatment at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, highlighting the catastrophic humanitarian crisis fueled by the ongoing siege and blockade.

In the Netzarim axis, a young Palestinian was fatally shot in the eye by an Israeli sniper, his body later transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Such targeted killings have become a grim hallmark of the occupation’s tactics in the region.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s unrelenting aggression on Gaza has claimed the lives of 66,055 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and injured 168,346 others. Thousands more remain trapped under rubble or abandoned on the streets, with overwhelmed ambulance and rescue crews unable to reach them due to ongoing Israeli attacks.

The international community has been urged to intervene and hold Israel accountable for what many are calling war crimes against the Palestinian people. As Gaza continues to endure unimaginable suffering, calls for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of the blockade grow louder, with advocates demanding justice and protection for the defenseless civilian population. (ILKHA)