A fresh wave of Israeli air and artillery strikes has left at least 20 Palestinians dead and dozens more injured across the Gaza Strip since the early hours of Tuesday, according to local medical sources.

The attacks have exacerbated an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis, pushing emergency services to the brink under conditions of extreme scarcity and continued blockade.

Widespread destruction was reported across Gaza, with entire residential neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Emergency crews worked desperately to rescue trapped civilians and treat the wounded, even as hospitals and clinics faced dire shortages of essential medicines and supplies.

In one of the day’s most harrowing incidents, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on civilians awaiting humanitarian aid in central Gaza, killing at least seven. Witnesses described a horrifying scene of chaos and bloodshed, calling it a stark illustration of the daily peril faced by Palestinians simply trying to survive under siege.

Targeted Israeli shelling in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City claimed one life and injured several others. A separate airstrike in central Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, killed another civilian. In al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis, an entire residential block was flattened, leaving families homeless and traumatized.

Residents in eastern Gaza City endured relentless artillery bombardment, especially along al-Sikka Street in al-Zaytoun, with Israeli military vehicles reportedly firing indiscriminately into civilian areas.

Adding to the day’s toll, an Israeli drone targeted a group of civilians gathered near a humanitarian aid distribution point on al-Tina Street in southern Khan Younis, leaving several injured. Locals say such attacks on aid points further undermine any effort to deliver relief to a population facing starvation and disease.

These latest attacks come amid growing international condemnation of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which critics have described as collective punishment. Human rights groups continue to urge global action to halt the violence, lift the blockade, and ensure the protection of civilians under international law.

With no ceasefire in sight and humanitarian corridors frequently targeted, Gaza’s 2.3 million residents remain caught in a cycle of siege, displacement, and death — a crisis deepening by the hour. (ILKHA)