41 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Ahead of Eid al-Adha

Watan-The death toll in Gaza rose to 41 Palestinians — including children, women, and journalists — due to Israeli airstrikes that targeted multiple areas across the besieged enclave since Thursday morning.

The attacks come on the eve of Eid al-Adha, marking the fourth consecutive holiday under catastrophic conditions as a result of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza that began on October 7, 2023.

South Gaza:

• In the Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis, 3 Palestinians were killed and others injured in an airstrike targeting a civilian gathering.

• In Jabalia, two Palestinians — including a woman — were killed by an Israeli drone strike. Emergency teams also recovered 3 more bodies from under the rubble following another strike.

• In Beit Lahia, combined artillery and aerial bombardment killed 3 Palestinians.

• A father and his child from the Abu Nada family, and another child from the Al-Hurki family, were killed when their home was struck in southern Gaza City.

• In Al-Shifa Street, western Gaza City, an Israeli drone strike on displaced people killed 4 more Palestinians.

• Near Khan Younis, 5 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting areas east of the city.

• In Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, 6 Palestinians were killed when a drone struck a displacement tent.

• Another drone strike on a tent north of the city killed 2 Palestinians and injured others.

• Two more Palestinians were killed in a strike on a relief vehicle in Khan Younis, while 4 others were killed in a separate attack in Bani Suheila, east of the city.

Central Gaza:

• A young girl was killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a home belonging to the Abu Shamala family near Al-Banna Bakery in western Deir al-Balah.

• Al-Mughraqa, north of Nuseirat camp, was subjected to heavy shelling in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Israeli ground forces continued demolishing buildings in Al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis, alongside intense artillery shelling of nearby areas: Batin al-Samin, Qizan al-Najjar, Al-Balad, Al-Satr al-Gharbi, Al-Kateeba, Street 5, and others.

Journalists Targeted:

Earlier Thursday, the Gaza Media Office reported that the number of journalists killed has risen to 225 since the beginning of the war, following the killing of 4 more journalists and the critical injury of a fifth in a drone strike on Al-Ahli Hospital courtyard in Gaza City.

According to WAFA News Agency, the victims were:

• Ismail Baddah

• Suleiman Hajaj

• Samir Al-Rifai

• Ahmad Qalja

• Journalist Imad Daloul was seriously injured in the same attack.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full U.S. support, has been committing what Gaza authorities and rights organizations call a genocide involving systematic killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, in defiance of international pleas and orders from the International Court of Justice.

The war has so far left over 180,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, the majority of them women and children, with more than 11,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and widespread famine claiming more lives — especially among children.

Israel’s blockade of Gaza has continued for 18 years, and as of now, about 1.5 million out of 2.4 million Palestinians in the strip are homeless after their homes were destroyed during the ongoing war.