Israeli Airstrikes Claim Lives of 32 in Gaza Strip

Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of 32 more individuals in the Gaza Strip, as reported by the health ministry of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory on Friday, marking over nine months of ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Violence persisted across the coastal enclave from north to south, amid ongoing negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The captives were seized by Hamas militants during their unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel, which sparked the current hostilities.

Gaza’s health ministry issued a brief statement stating that “32 martyrs, mostly children and women, were taken to hospitals overnight due to continued massacres by Israeli forces.”

Hamas media reported that “more than 70 airstrikes” targeted various locations, including Gaza City in the north, Nuseirat refugee camp in the center, and Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south.

Israel’s military confirmed ongoing operations in Rafah near the Egyptian border, noting that troops had eliminated numerous terrorists through close-quarters combat and aerial strikes while dismantling terrorist infrastructure.

In central Gaza, Israeli forces engaged and neutralized militants deemed to pose a threat, discovering a weapons production workshop and seizing a significant amount of funds intended for terrorist activities.

In Beit Hanoun, far-northern Gaza, Israeli airstrikes targeted areas from which projectiles had been launched into southern Israel the previous day.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Civil Defence agency reported the recovery of approximately 60 bodies from under the rubble of Gaza City’s eastern Shujaiya neighborhood. The area had been devastated following a two-week Israeli military operation, leaving 85 percent of buildings uninhabitable and rendering Shujaiya a disaster zone, according to Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

Earlier, Israel’s army had issued warnings urging Gaza City residents to evacuate the area, citing it as a dangerous combat zone. The United Nations estimated that up to 350,000 people were residing in the city amidst the escalating conflict.