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In a tragic airstrike on Friday morning, Israeli warplanes struck a three-story house in the Al-Manara neighborhood of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians and injuring several others.
Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of over a dozen individuals in the Gaza Strip early Friday, coinciding with the deployment of additional ground troops into the Palestinian region to intensify the offensive against Hamas.
Hospital sources reported that at least 17 people, including members of the same family, were killed when an airstrike targeted the southern city of Khan Younis.
Rescue efforts continued for hours as people sifted through the debris in search of survivors.
This assault followed a day in which Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 100 Palestinians.
Over the past two weeks, the death toll has risen significantly as Israel has escalated its military operations, aiming to compel Hamas to release the hostages taken during its attack on Israel in October 2023.
On Friday, Israel announced the initiation of ground operations in northern Gaza to extend its security perimeter.
Prior to the anticipated ground actions, Israel’s military had issued extensive evacuation orders for certain areas in northern Gaza.
According to the U.N. humanitarian office, approximately 280,000 Palestinians have been displaced since Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last month.
Recently, Israel has pledged to capture substantial portions of Palestinian territory and create a new security corridor within it.
In an effort to pressure Hamas, Israel has enforced a month-long blockade on food, fuel, and humanitarian aid, leading to severe shortages for civilians as supplies diminish—a strategy that human rights organizations have labeled a war crime.
Earlier this week, Israel claimed that sufficient food had entered Gaza during a six-week truce to support the territory’s approximately 2 million residents for an extended period.
Hamas has stated that it will only release the remaining 59 hostages—24 of whom are believed to be alive—in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The group has dismissed demands to disarm or exit the territory.
The early morning strike on Friday targeted a three-story building, resulting in not only fatalities but also injuries to at least 16 individuals from the same family.
Associated Press journalists witnessed the grim scene of bodies being wrapped in blankets, while others scoured the debris for survivors and gathered charred remains.
Ismail Al-Aqqad, who lost his brother and his brother’s family in the attack, expressed his despair: “We are at a loss on how to recover and bury them. We cannot identify these remains; they are burned and dismembered.”
On Thursday, hospital staff reported that over 30 bodies, including those of women and children, were transported to medical facilities in and around Khan Younis.
On Friday, Israel announced the elimination of a senior Hamas commander, Hassan Farhat, in a strike in Sidon, a coastal city in Lebanon.
Israel claimed Farhat was responsible for numerous assaults against them, including a February 2024 attack that resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier and injuries to others.
In its ongoing military campaign, Israel has intensified its operations, expanding the buffer zone and regaining control of the eastern part of the Netzarim corridor, effectively severing connections between northern and southern Gaza.
The U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported that there were over 300 airstrikes in just ten days at the end of March, a figure nearly ten times higher than in February.
The conflict erupted when Hamas-led militants launched an assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities, predominantly among civilians, and the abduction of 251 hostages, most of whom have since been released through ceasefire agreements and negotiations.
Israel managed to rescue eight living hostages and has recovered numerous bodies.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 50,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza due to Israel’s military actions, although the ministry does not specify how many of the deceased were civilians versus combatants.
It claims that over half of those killed were women and children.
Israel asserts that it has eliminated around 20,000 militants but has not provided supporting evidence.
The war has devastated much of Gaza, displacing approximately 90% of its population at its peak.
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