Israeli onslaught kills 153 in 24 hours as Gaza faces escalating humanitarian catastrophe
By Elham Asaad Buaras
London (The Muslim News): At least 153 Palestinians were killed within a single 24-hour period as Israel unleashed a renewed wave of bombardment across the besieged Gaza Strip, health authorities reported on Sunday. The director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, Dr Munir al-Bursh, said “relentless Israeli strikes” were responsible for the deaths, accusing Israel of “practising the most brutal forms of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Palestinian civilians.”
According to a medical source, at least 140 people were killed since early Sunday morning, with dozens more wounded, including many women and children. In Gaza City’s Safatawi neighbourhood, Israeli forces fired shells at a group of civilians, killing eight on the spot.
In northern Gaza, Israeli drones targeted the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia. Its director, Dr Marwan Sultan, said the facility was “besieged by Israeli drones, which are shooting at anyone who moves.” One patient was injured near the building, and several others were wounded as Israeli forces opened fire close to the hospital entrance. Tanks and bulldozers later surrounded the medical complex. “The humanitarian conditions are extremely dire,” said Dr al-Bursh, as hospitals reported being overwhelmed with casualties.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, six people were killed during an Israeli raid, including one man reportedly executed at close range by Israeli special forces. Communications were severed during the operation, according to the Wafa News Agency. Dr Muhammad Zaqout, Director General of Gaza’s hospitals, confirmed that Nasser Hospital received both bodies and multiple injured victims following the bombardment. He also voiced concern that Israeli forces might attempt to storm the hospital.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a medical supply warehouse, the Health Ministry revealed on Sunday. Images showed crates of intravenous fluids and emergency kits scattered amid the debris.
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had launched a broad ground offensive across northern and southern Gaza under what it called “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, deploying both regular and reserve units from the Southern Command, according to Anadolu Agency.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 67 bodies were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours, and 360 others were wounded. It added that “many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them” due to the constant threat of Israeli fire. Since the start of the war in October 2023, Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 53,339 Palestinians and injured more than 121,000 others.
Gaza’s press corps under fire
Israeli airstrikes also continued to decimate Gaza’s press corps. On Sunday, five more journalists were killed, bringing the total number of media workers killed by Israeli attacks since October to 222, according to the Government Media Office. One of the victims was a female journalist. The deceased were identified as Abdul Rahman Al-Abaadela, Khaled Abu Seif, Azeez Al-Hajjar, Ahmed Al-Zaytani, and Nour Qandil. All were reportedly killed alongside relatives in targeted strikes on homes and displacement shelters.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reported that 430 journalists have been wounded so far, including 30 women, and 685 family members of journalists have also been killed. About 1,000 journalists in Gaza are facing repeated displacement due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment.
UN staff killed as aid access remains blocked
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, confirmed on Sunday that over 300 UN staff had been killed since the outbreak of war, most of them in Israeli airstrikes. “The vast majority of staff were killed by the Israeli Army with their children and loved ones — whole families wiped out,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). He added that many of the dead were healthcare workers and teachers, some killed while “serving their communities in the line of duty.” Lazzarini warned, “Nothing justifies these killings. Impunity will lead to more killing. Those responsible must be held accountable.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s announcement that it would permit a limited quantity of aid into Gaza came as international agencies raised alarms about soaring hunger levels. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned on Sunday that the entire population of Gaza—over 2.1 million people—is suffering from acute food insecurity, with 469,500 projected to face catastrophic famine-level conditions by the end of September. Between April 1 and May 10, 244,000 people were already in IPC Phase 5 (catastrophe), and 925,000 in Phase 4 (emergency). The agency called it a “significant deterioration” since October 2023.
Israeli settler and army attacks escalate in West Bank
On Sunday, Israeli settler violence intensified in the occupied West Bank. Settlers set fire to hundreds of dunums of Palestinian farmland, including olive groves, in the village of Duma, south of Nablus. “Palestinians and their properties are coming under repeated settler attacks in the town,” said the municipal head, Suleiman Dawabsheh, describing an atmosphere of terror and impunity.
In Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, settlers established a new illegal outpost with army support. The Al-Baidar Organisation for the Defence of Bedouin Rights reported that the area had been subjected to “repeated attacks by illegal settlers and the Israeli army,” warning that such acts worsen the humanitarian crisis and undermine the right of Palestinians to remain on their land.
Later on Sunday, Israeli soldiers stormed Al-Khader town near Bethlehem, stationed themselves in the Bababa area, and patrolled along the Jerusalem Hebron road. No arrests were made, but troops set up a checkpoint near Al-Yamama Hospital, stopping vehicles and checking ID cards.
Since the start of the war on Gaza in October, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 968 Palestinians and injured over 7,000 in the West Bank. During the same period, 60 illegal settler outposts have been constructed, according to official Palestinian figures.
The International Court of Justice ruled in July 2023 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal under international law and called for the dismantling of all settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel continues to ignore the ruling.
[Photo: The family members of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli airstrikes visit the morgue of al-Nasser Hospital to find bodies of their loved ones on May 19, 2025 in Khan Yunis, the southern Gaza Strip. Photojournalist: Abed Rahim Khatib/AA]
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