At least 16 people were killed across Gaza on Friday, according to the Palestinian territory’s civil defence agency, as Israel intensified its military operations. Agency official Mohammed al-Mughayyir reported that the fatalities resulted from overnight strikes across central and southern Gaza, with dozens more wounded.
In northern Gaza, three staff members at Al-Awda hospital were injured when Israeli quadcopter drones reportedly dropped explosives on the facility.
The Israeli military stated that it had targeted “military compounds, weapons storage facilities, and sniper posts,” adding that its air force struck over 75 “terror targets” throughout Gaza in the past 24 hours.
Aid delivery resumed on Monday for the first time in over two months. On Thursday, 107 humanitarian trucks entered Gaza, according to COGAT, Israel’s defense ministry body overseeing Palestinian civil affairs.
However, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 15 of its aid trucks were looted in southern Gaza on Thursday night. WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that while aid is arriving, it’s not enough and moving too slowly.
Since Israel resumed major operations on March 18 following a two-month ceasefire, Gaza’s health ministry reports at least 3,673 people have died, bringing the total war death toll to 53,822 — mostly civilians.
The conflict was triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which killed 1,218 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages. According to Israeli military data, 57 hostages remain in Gaza, including 34 confirmed dead.
AFP
