At least 21 Palestinian civilians were killed and dozens injured in relentless Israeli airstrikes and machine-gun fire across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Monday, medical sources reported, as Israel’s genocidal campaign against the besieged Palestinian enclave continues unabated.

The latest wave of violence, which claimed 12 lives in northern Gaza and 9 in the south, underscores the escalating brutality of Israel’s nearly two-year assault, which has left the Strip in ruins and its population on the brink of survival.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the fatalities include women, children, and elderly individuals, with entire families wiped out in strikes targeting densely populated residential areas. In northern Gaza, a strike on a home in Jabalia refugee camp killed seven, including a mother and her two children, while in Khan Younis in the south, a missile attack on a makeshift shelter claimed four lives. Paramedics reported severe challenges in reaching victims due to ongoing bombardment and the deliberate targeting of ambulances, a tactic Israel has repeatedly employed to hinder rescue efforts.

Since October 2023, Israel’s U.S.-backed military campaign has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, including more than 15,000 children, and injured over 140,000, with thousands more missing under rubble. The United Nations and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have labeled the assault a genocide, citing Israel’s systematic targeting of civilians, destruction of hospitals, schools, and infrastructure, and enforcement of a starvation policy through an 18-year blockade. As of September 2025, over 1.9 million Palestinians—nearly 90% of Gaza’s population—remain displaced, with 500,000 facing catastrophic hunger levels due to Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The latest attacks come as the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led maritime mission carrying aid from 44 countries, prepares to depart Tunisia on September 11 to challenge Israel’s naval blockade. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s threats to detain and label flotilla activists as “terrorists” have drawn international condemnation, with activists vowing to deliver critical supplies like food, water, and medicine to Gaza’s starving population. (ILKHA)