The civil defense agency in Gaza has reported that air strikes conducted by Israel have resulted in the deaths of at least 25 individuals across the region since the morning hours.
On March 18, Israel reinitiated a vigorous air and ground offensive on Gaza, effectively ending a two-month ceasefire that had largely quelled hostilities in the beleaguered Palestinian territory.
“The total number of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes since dawn today has now reached 25,” stated Mohammad Mughayyir, a senior figure from the civil defense agency, in a report to AFP.
Nine individuals lost their lives, with several others injured, when an air strike targeted a residence in the heart of Khan Yunis, he confirmed.
Another nine deaths occurred due to separate strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Mr. Mughayyir mentioned, including five fatalities when a tent sheltering displaced people was struck.
Additionally, five others were killed in an attack on a home belonging to the Bakr family in the Al-Shati refugee camp of Gaza City, and two more succumbed to injuries in a similar strike in the southern city of Rafah.
More than ten homes were also destroyed in these assaults, as reported earlier by civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal to AFP, who added that an air strike also obliterated bulldozers and equipment belonging to the Jabalia municipality.
The Israeli military has yet to comment on these latest strikes.
Since the collapse of the ceasefire with Hamas, the military has conducted a sustained offensive against Gaza.
The civil defense agency in Gaza has accused the Israeli military of executing “summary executions” in the deaths of 15 rescue workers last month, disputing the conclusions of an internal investigation conducted by the army.
Since the resumption of the military offensive, at least 1,864 individuals have been reported killed in Gaza, raising the total death toll since the beginning of the war to a minimum of 51,240, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-administered Gaza.
The attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, primarily civilians, as per an AFP count based on official Israeli statistics.
