Israeli occupation forces have intensified their military campaign in Gaza, resulting in widespread civilian casualties, mass displacement, and catastrophic destruction.

The ongoing offensive, backed by unwavering U.S. support and met with global inaction, has left Gaza grappling with famine, collapsed infrastructure, and relentless airstrikes and artillery bombardments.

Medical sources reported a series of deadly strikes across Gaza overnight and into early Thursday. In Khan Yunis’ Al-Mawasi area, a drone strike on displaced families’ tents near Well 19 killed five civilians, including Khaled Jamal Abu Hamra, Sheikh Hatem Jouda, and children Yamen and Yumna Yousef Al-Amour. In another attack near Asdaa City, a vehicle strike claimed the lives of Abdel Jalil Khattab and Akram Al-Dirawi. In Al-Bureij refugee camp, an airstrike on the Abu Jild family home martyred four family members. Additional strikes near Al-Razzi Restaurant in Al-Nuseirat camp and other areas left at least four more dead and dozens wounded, with seven in critical condition.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports a staggering 57,680 deaths and 137,409 injuries since the conflict’s escalation, with over 11,000 people still missing under rubble. Since March 18, when Israel violated a ceasefire agreement, 7,118 additional lives have been lost, and 25,368 people injured. The targeting of designated “aid distribution points” since May 27 has killed 773 civilians and injured 5,101, with 39 missing.

Frontline workers have not been spared: 1,581 medical personnel, 115 civil defense workers, 220 humanitarian security staff, and 754 policemen and aid workers have been killed. The destruction of infrastructure is equally dire, with 88% of Gaza’s buildings, 149 schools and universities, 828 mosques, and 19 cemeteries demolished. The Government Media Office estimates damages at over $62 billion, with 77% of Gaza’s land now under Israeli control through military operations and forced displacement.

Over two million Palestinians, many already refugees from 1948, face starvation, homelessness, and a lack of basic services. The Israeli military’s tactics, including the use of “aid distribution points” as attack zones, have been condemned as coercive by international agencies. The so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” a joint Israeli-American initiative, has been rejected by the United Nations as a tool to force Palestinian surrender through starvation.

Despite what international experts and rights groups describe as a genocide, global institutions have failed to intervene effectively. Western governments, particularly the U.S., continue to provide diplomatic and military support to Israel, enabling the ongoing assaults.

As Gaza endures what many call a modern Nakba, its people remain defiant, resisting displacement and asserting their right to freedom and dignity. The international community’s silence, however, continues to cast a shadow over hopes for an end to the violence. (ILKHA)