The Palestinian news agency reported on Saturday that over 80 people were killed and dozens injured, mostly children and women, in Israeli bombings of homes and buildings across Gaza City in the north, Al-Nuseirat camp in the center, and Rafah city in the south.
Local sources indicated that the Israeli forces bombed a seven-story residential building housing displaced individuals near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, resulting in dozens killed and injured, many of whom are still under the rubble. Additionally, a house on Al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City was bombed, with people missing.
Other sources reported that at least five people were killed and others injured in bombings of two houses in the Al-Tuffah and Al-Nasr neighborhoods of Gaza City, as reported by the World Arab News Agency. A further 36 individuals were killed in Israeli artillery shelling of two houses in Al-Nuseirat camp in the center of the Gaza Strip, with additional injuries reported.
Earlier on Saturday, local sources informed the Palestinian News and Information Agency that Israeli forces bombed a seven-story residential building housing displaced individuals in Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, with many still trapped under the rubble. In the south of the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces bombed a house in Rafah city, causing several injuries. The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Friday that the death toll in the Gaza Strip since October 7 had risen to 31,490, with 73,439 injured. It was noted that there are still victims under the rubble and in the streets, with Israeli forces preventing access to ambulance and civil defense crews.
The recent war in Gaza has resulted in a staggering humanitarian toll. As of March 15, at least 31,490 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 12,300 children and 8,400 women. The injured count exceeds 73,439, with more than 8,000 individuals reported missing. In contrast, Israel has revised its death toll from the October 7 attacks to 1,139 people, with at least 8,730 injured.
The conflict has led to the destruction or damage of over half of Gaza’s homes, affecting around 360,000 residential units. Additionally, 392 educational facilities, 12 out of 35 hospitals, and 267 places of worship have been compromised. The siege has severely restricted access to basic necessities, including clean water, as 83% of groundwater wells are non-operational.
The origins of this escalation can be traced back to protests over the expulsion of Palestinian families and Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. These events intensified with heavy bombardment by Israeli fighter jets on Gaza, targeting Palestinian armed groups, police buildings, and apartment blocks.
This conflict, initiated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, represents the most significant military escalation in the region since the Yom Kippur War 50 years prior. The attack, described as a major Israeli intelligence failure, involved the launch of rockets and approximately 3,000 militants breaching the Gaza-Israel barrier. Hamas’s actions were reportedly in response to the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, and other longstanding grievances.
