At least 33 people, more than half of them children, were killed on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. The intensified bombardment followed Israel’s announcement of an expanded military campaign aimed at defeating Hamas and securing the release of hostages.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said 22 people died and over 100 were injured in a predawn strike on tents sheltering displaced families in Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza. Additional strikes killed seven in Jabalia, northern Gaza, and four more in Al-Zawayda and Khan Yunis.
Footage from the aftermath showed rescuers searching through debris and mourners grieving outside hospitals. Bassal described the attacks as a “series of violent air strikes” that caused widespread casualties and destruction.
Israel has not yet commented on the latest strikes. The military campaign has faced mounting global criticism amid worsening humanitarian conditions caused by an Israeli blockade on aid since March 2.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at an Arab League summit in Baghdad, called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Italy and Germany also expressed concern, while European Council President Antonio Costa said he was “shocked” by the escalating violence.
Since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, the Gaza health ministry reports over 3,100 deaths, raising the total toll of the war to 53,272.
In Tel Aviv, anti-government protests continued, with demonstrators urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a deal for the release of remaining hostages. Of the 251 taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack, 57 are still held in Gaza, with 34 believed dead.
Meanwhile, renewed ceasefire negotiations have begun in Doha, Qatar. Netanyahu has kept close contact with Israeli delegates there, though far-right ministers within his government remain opposed to any deal.
Healthcare infrastructure in Gaza is on the brink. The Indonesian Hospital in the north reports catastrophic conditions and severe shortages. The Gaza health ministry accuses Israeli forces of laying siege to the hospital, further hampering emergency care.
The war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack, which killed 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to AFP figures.
