Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed more than a dozen people overnight into Saturday, as the region faces simultaneous humanitarian and health crises. The deadly raids occurred while health workers were completing the second phase of an urgent polio vaccination campaign aimed at preventing a large-scale outbreak after Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years.
The nine-day vaccination drive, organized by the UN health agency and its partners, seeks to immunize 640,000 children amid the ongoing war that has devastated Gaza’s health infrastructure. The campaign is crucial in the face of a rapidly deteriorating healthcare system, and the third phase of the vaccinations is set to begin in the northern regions of Gaza.
Civilian Casualties in Central and Northern Gaza
In Gaza’s central region, particularly the Nuseirat refugee camp, Al-Awda Hospital reported receiving the bodies of nine people killed in two separate Israeli air raids. One airstrike hit a residential building, killing four people and injuring at least 10 others. In a separate attack in western Nuseirat, five people were killed in a strike on a home.
Nearby, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported the deaths of a woman and her two children following an airstrike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp. Further north, in the town of Jabaliya, an airstrike on a school-turned-shelter for displaced families killed at least four people and wounded dozens more, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence authorities. Israel’s military claimed the strike targeted a Hamas command post located within the former school compound.
The escalating conflict in Gaza began after Hamas and other militant groups launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. However, the ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths. Additionally, more than 94,000 people have been wounded in Gaza, intensifying the region’s humanitarian crisis.
Violence Spreads to the West Bank
The conflict has also spread to the occupied West Bank, where violence continues to escalate. In Jenin, a days-long Israeli military operation left dozens dead. Residents reported widespread destruction caused by Israeli forces using bulldozers to demolish structures.
Among the civilian casualties was 13-year-old Bana Laboom, who was killed by Israeli fire in the village of Qaryout. The Israeli military said its forces had been deployed to quell a riot involving rock-throwing between Palestinians and Israeli settlers. The military added that shots were fired into the air during the confrontation.
In another incident, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American-Turkish national, was shot and killed during a protest against Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Witnesses said she posed no threat to Israeli forces and was shot during a lull in earlier clashes. The White House expressed deep concern over her killing and called for an investigation. Eygi’s family has called for an independent inquiry, citing mistrust of an internal Israeli investigation.
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Pressure Mounts for a Ceasefire
The United States and other international allies have increased pressure on Israel to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted, insisting on continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor—a narrow strip along Gaza’s border with Egypt that Israel claims is a smuggling route for Hamas weapons. Both Egypt and Hamas have denied this accusation.
Hamas, for its part, has proposed releasing all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants. These conditions broadly align with a peace framework proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden in July, though the negotiations have so far failed to yield a ceasefire.
Tensions Along the Israel-Lebanon Border
Meanwhile, clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continue along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. In a recent escalation, an Israeli drone strike hit a Lebanese Civil Defence team in the town of Froun, killing three volunteers and wounding two others. The fire they were battling had been caused by a previous Israeli strike.
In retaliation, Hezbollah fired about 45 rockets into northern Israel, though most fell in open areas without causing injuries. Israeli jets later responded by striking Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, including a rocket launcher.
As the conflict intensifies, Gaza’s civilians remain caught in the crossfire, enduring both the devastation of war and the challenges of a crumbling healthcare system amid efforts to prevent a potential polio outbreak.
