Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill at Least Eight Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes on Friday targeted the Nuseirat, Al-Maghazi, and Jabalia refugee camps, as well as the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least eight Palestinians and the injury of several others.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, three civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house west of Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

In a similar attack on homes in the Al-Maghazi camp in central Gaza, two more Palestinians were killed.

Local sources reported that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in Block 4 of the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, killing three Palestinians and injuring several others.

Separately, an Israeli attack on a tent sheltering displaced people in the Shawafin area, east of Khan Younis, resulted in more deaths and injuries.

The Israeli military also continued its bombardment in Rafah, demolishing homes and residential blocks in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army claimed that the airstrikes were part of a "military offensive" in the Khan Younis area, based on intelligence indicating the presence of Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure and operatives.

Despite calls from mediators, including Egypt, the US, and Qatar, for a cease-fire and a hostages exchange agreement, Israel has continued its genocidal military operations in the Gaza Strip.

This escalation comes as Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), told The Washington Post that Israel has struck 70 percent of the agency’s schools since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Most of these schools were being used as shelters for displaced Palestinians at the time of the attacks.

Touma noted that Israel has consistently released statements following such attacks, claiming the buildings were being used by Hamas fighters, a justification she described as "very serious." She added, "We have no way to confirm or deny these claims, nor do we have the ability to investigate. What we do know is that every time these schools or buildings are hit, civilians, including women and children, are harmed."

The ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza has resulted in nearly 39,700 deaths since last October.

Israel has been accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered the country to halt its military operations in Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge before the city was invaded in May.