Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday caused the deaths of at least 44 people, local rescue officials reported, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. Among the casualties, 23 died when an airstrike hit a home in the Al-Bureij refugee camp, according to Gaza civil defense official Mohammad al-Mughayyir. In a separate event near the American aid centre in the southern Morag area, two people were shot dead and several others injured by Israeli forces, he added.
The Israeli military confirmed it was investigating these incidents while stating its forces targeted dozens of terror sites across Gaza during the past 24 hours. The intensified military action comes after thousands of Palestinians stormed a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir al-Balah, desperate for food amid severe shortages. Video footage from the scene showed chaos and gunfire as civilians fled with emergency food supplies. One resident, Sobhi Areef, described the situation as degrading, saying, “We risk our lives just to get a bag of flour.”
Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), set up as an alternative channel to distribute aid bypassing Hamas, has faced criticism from both the United Nations and the European Union. Israel defends GHF’s role, accusing the UN of blocking aid efforts. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, claimed the UN is using “threats, intimidation, and retaliation against NGOs.”
With the conflict now in its 18th month, the UN reports nearly 4,000 deaths since March 18, pushing the total Palestinian death toll beyond 54,000, most of them civilians. Despite diplomatic efforts, including condemnation from the EU and Jordan of what they call “systematic starvation tactics,” no ceasefire has been reached, leaving the humanitarian crisis to deepen.
