Tragedy struck Gaza City on Wednesday when an Israeli airstrike, reportedly near a bustling market, claimed the lives of nearly two dozen Palestinians. The Palestinian Civil Defense rescue service confirmed the fatalities, painting a grim picture of the conflict’s toll.
Among the deceased were at least six women and nine children, comprising a total of 22 victims from the attack near Firas Market in eastern Gaza City. The Wafa news agency, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, corroborated these reports, stating that all those killed had been sheltering in a warehouse struck during the assault.
Conversely, an Israeli military statement asserted that the strike targeted and eliminated “two Hamas terrorists” in the northern Gaza Strip, offering no additional details on their identities. The military also stated that the reported civilian casualty figures did not align with their intelligence, though they refrained from providing their own count of the deceased.
This incident occurs as Israel continues its ground offensive in Gaza City, launched last week with the stated aim of dismantling Hamas, the Palestinian militant group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack that initiated the current conflict. Israeli military officials maintain that their operations strictly target militants and their operational infrastructure, such as weapon caches and tunnels, acknowledging that these targets are frequently situated within civilian areas.
The intensified conflict, marked by the ground invasion of Gaza City—the territory’s most populous urban center—has drawn increasing international condemnation. This latest offensive has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee, many for the second or third time during this war.
Recent days have seen a surge in diplomatic frustration, with nearly a dozen nations formally recognizing a Palestinian state, a move that has deeply angered Israeli authorities.
Adding to the regional tensions, a drone originating from Yemen struck the Israeli city of Eilat on Wednesday evening. The military confirmed the attack, which resulted in 20 injuries, two of them severe, as reported by Israeli paramedics. Despite interception attempts, the drone successfully bypassed Israeli air defenses.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen stands as one of Israel’s few remaining regional adversaries regularly attempting attacks on the nation. While the Houthis claim these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians enduring Israeli bombardment in Gaza, most of their launches are intercepted or fail to cause significant damage, with casualties being an infrequent outcome.
Prior to initiating its ground invasion of Gaza City, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the city’s entire population—hundreds of thousands of residents—directing them toward what it designated as a humanitarian zone in southern Gaza.
However, a significant number of civilians chose to stay in Gaza City, citing financial constraints or a pervasive skepticism about the safety of any supposed refuge within the besieged territory.
Wafa further reported five additional fatalities from Wednesday’s strikes in various parts of Gaza City, including four women and one man, besides those killed in the warehouse.
Separately, the civil defense unit announced the recovery of four bodies from the debris of a building struck in Nuseirat, located approximately seven miles south of Gaza City in central Gaza. The Israeli military has not yet commented on this particular strike.
Nedal Abu Sherbi, a 37-year-old resident of Gaza City, expressed his inability to afford relocation. He added that even if he could, the thought of another displacement was unbearable.
He recounted a “very humiliating experience” from earlier in the conflict when he had sought refuge in southern Gaza, an ordeal that has cemented his resolve to remain.
“If I am going to suffer anyway, then I am staying here,” declared Abu Sherbi, a freelance journalist now sheltering in a school within Rimal, a neighborhood once known for its affluence, after his own home was destroyed.
According to Abu Sherbi, Israeli forces seem to have established “full control” over numerous neighborhoods, though not yet in his immediate vicinity. Nevertheless, movement is severely restricted, making it impossible to venture more than a few blocks from his temporary shelter.
He noted that while conditions in Rimal are “relatively better than in other areas,” relentless strikes continue day and night. “We cannot sleep through the night because of the constant strikes,” he lamented.
Before the recent evacuation orders, the United Nations estimated nearly one million people resided in Gaza City, accounting for roughly half of the territory’s entire population. Since then, Israeli officials estimate that 640,000 people have departed the city.
Over the past few months, extensive areas of Gaza City have been devastated by Israeli actions.
A detailed analysis of satellite imagery by The New York Times revealed that the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, for instance, was reduced to a “barren wasteland” in just a few weeks during August, with the vast majority of its buildings annihilated.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, a U.N.-backed panel of food experts recently declared a state of famine in Gaza City. Concurrently, a U.N. commission investigating the Gaza conflict has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, allegations which Israel vehemently denies.
Reporting contributed by Abu Bakr Bashir.