Local rescue authorities reported that Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday resulted in the deaths of at least 44 individuals, signaling a significant intensification of the ongoing conflict.
A senior official from Gaza’s civil defense service, Mohammad al-Mughayyir, reported that at least 44 individuals lost their lives in a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes, with nearly half of those casualties resulting from a single devastating hit on a residential structure in the Al-Bureij refugee camp. “Twenty-three people were killed when the house in Al-Bureij was targeted,” he told AFP, underscoring the escalating toll on civilians.
In a separate but equally alarming episode in the southern Morag region—near a U.S.-affiliated humanitarian aid center—two additional civilians were fatally shot, and several others sustained injuries following gunfire from Israeli forces, al-Mughayyir added.
The Israeli military acknowledged the strikes, stating it had targeted “dozens of terror sites” across the Gaza Strip within the last 24 hours. However, it also confirmed that it is currently investigating both the Al-Bureij and Morag incidents.
This latest escalation comes just a day after scenes of desperation unfolded in Deir al-Balah, where a large crowd of Palestinians broke into the World Food Programme’s Al-Ghafari warehouse, driven by acute food shortages and mounting humanitarian distress amid the ongoing blockade and conflict.
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Footage showed chaotic scenes and gunfire as desperate civilians made off with emergency food supplies. “What is happening to us is degrading.
“We’re gambling with our lives for a single bag of flour,” lamented Sobhi Areef, a Gaza resident, reflecting the desperation faced by thousands across the besieged enclave.
In the midst of mounting humanitarian catastrophe, the recently established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — intended as a direct aid pipeline bypassing Hamas — has ignited sharp controversy. While Israel promotes the GHF as a necessary alternative to ensure relief reaches civilians, both the United Nations and the European Union have voiced concerns, accusing the initiative of undermining established international frameworks and sidestepping accountability.
Tensions flared further after Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, accused the global body of deliberately obstructing humanitarian efforts, alleging that it has engaged in “threats, intimidation, and retaliatory measures against NGOs working independently of its channels.”
The situation grows increasingly dire. The United Nations now estimates that 20 percent of Gaza’s population faces imminent starvation, with the conflict grinding through its 18th month. Since March 18 alone, at least 3,986 Palestinians have been reported killed — part of a broader toll exceeding 54,000 deaths, the overwhelming majority of whom are civilians.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts — including a joint EU–Jordan declaration condemning what they termed “systematic starvation tactics” — there remains no clear path to a ceasefire. For the people of Gaza, aid remains both a lifeline and a dangerous pursuit.