Over 20 Palestinians Martyred in Overnight “Israeli” Strikes as Genocidal War on Gaza Escalates

By Staff, Agencies

More than 20 Palestinians were martyred, and numerous others injured, in the apartheid “Israeli” entity’s overnight airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, as the entity’s relentless attacks on residential areas and schools sheltering displaced people continue unabated.

In the early hours of Thursday, 11 Palestinians lost their lives in an airstrike targeting a home in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, according to official Palestinian news agencies.

Medical sources reported that the majority of the victims were women and children. Their charred bodies were transported to Kamal Adwan Hospital, while several others remain trapped beneath the rubble.

“Israeli” forces also targeted a house in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least six Palestinians and injuring several more. Videos circulating online showed the victims' bodies covered with blankets and placed in body bags at a hospital.

In another strike on a residential apartment in the Tall az-Zaatar area of the northern Jabalia refugee camp, at least three Palestinians were martyred, and several others, including women and children, were injured, according to Gaza’s civil defense.

Additionally, a mother and her child were martyred in a separate “Israeli” attack on the Abu Daqqa family home in the southeastern area of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

The onslaught continued as “Israeli” forces advanced deeper into Gaza’s overcrowded central areas, issuing new evacuation orders. The attacks came just two days after Israel’s devastating strike on Salah al-Din School, a UNRWA shelter for displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, which killed and injured over 20 people, mostly women and children.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees [UNRWA], condemned the strike on the Gaza City school, stating that some victims "were burnt to death" in what he called a "horrific attack on one of our UNRWA schools."

"Is there any humanity left?" Lazzarini wrote on the social media platform X. "Gaza is no place for children anymore. They are the first casualties of this merciless war."

The apartheid “Israeli” entity has targeted more than 500 Gaza schools over the past 10 months, according to an Al Jazeera report.

Schools in the Gaza Strip have become shelters for nearly two million displaced Palestinians. Within a 10-day period in August, “Israeli” military forces struck five schools in Gaza City, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 179 people and injuries to many more.

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, schools are classified as civilian objects and should be protected from attacks.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the “Israeli” entity has martyred over 40,223 Palestinians and injured 92,981 since it launched its devastating campaign in Gaza on October 7.