Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes between Friday night and Saturday morning across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 23 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Among the victims were three children and their parents, whose shelter was hit in Gaza City.
The assault comes amid mounting international criticism over Israel’s plans to take direct control of humanitarian aid distribution in the enclave, where more than two million people remain under a strict blockade now entering its third month.
The United Nations and several aid organizations have rejected Israel’s new aid proposals, including a plan led by a group of American contractors, former military personnel, and ex-officials calling themselves the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.”
Among the bodies recovered in the past 24 hours were five members of a single family killed when their shelter was destroyed in the Sabra neighborhood of southern Gaza City, the Gaza Health Ministry reported. Another airstrike, also on Friday night, hit a UNRWA warehouse in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza. Four people were killed, according to the Indonesian Hospital, which received the bodies.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, said nine soldiers were lightly wounded by an explosive device during a search operation in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. All were evacuated to a hospital in Israel.
Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on March 18, breaking a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Since then, ground troops have seized control of more than half the enclave and stepped up operations in the north and in the southern city of Rafah, both of which have been devastated by months of Israeli assaults.
In this context, community kitchens have become the main—and in many cases the only—source of food for civilians. But many have shut down in recent days due to dwindling supplies. Aid groups warn that more closures are imminent. Israel says the blockade is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages and disarm. Human rights organizations, however, describe the blockade as a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.
Israel accuses Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid, though it has not provided concrete evidence. The UN denies any significant diversion, stating it closely monitors aid distribution.
The conflict, now in its 19th month, has become the most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 52,800 people have been killed—more than half of them women and children—and at least 119,000 have been injured. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel claims it has killed thousands of fighters but has not provided proof.
The Israeli government vowed to destroy Hamas following the October 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducted more than 250. An estimated 59 hostages remain in Hamas custody, with only about a third believed to be alive.
On Saturday, Hamas released a video showing two hostages, Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, who were abducted during the October 7 attack at a music festival where more than 300 people were killed. The video shows both men speaking under duress. It is the first time Ohana has appeared since his capture; Bohbot has been featured in several previous recordings.
