Israeli Strikes Kill Children in Gaza As Blockade Fuels Humanitarian Collapse

Israeli warplanes struck a tent in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood early Saturday, killing five members of the Tlaib family, including three children.

“Three children, their mother and her husband were sleeping inside a tent and were bombed by an (Israeli) occupation aircraft,” said Omar Abu al-Kass, the children’s maternal grandfather, to AFP.

He said the attack came “without warning and without having done anything wrong.”

In a separate drone strike in Gaza City's Tuffah neighborhood, one person was killed.

Further south, Israeli gunboats opened heavy fire near Rafah, killing Mohammed Saeed al-Bardawil, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Two others were injured in an attack on the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone west of Rafah.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that at least 23 Palestinians were killed and 124 injured in Israeli assaults over the past 24 hours.

The attacks occurred amid a prolonged Israeli blockade, in place since March 2, that has cut off essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

Most bakeries have stopped operating, aid kitchens are shutting down, and food distribution has nearly ceased.

“There’s barely food,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah.

She described people queuing for hours only to return empty-handed, with remaining kitchens stretching food meant for 100 to feed 2,000.

“We’re seeing more people dying, more children dying due to malnutrition and the lack of food,” Khoudary said.

“It’s not only the lack of food, it’s also the lack of medical supplies, fuel, cooking gas, and everything.”

World Central Kitchen, a US-based charity, announced Wednesday it could no longer operate in Gaza due to depleted supplies.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed for the blockade to be lifted.

“Children are starving, and dying. Community kitchens are shutting down. Clean water is running out,” the agency posted on X.

The blockade has severely impacted those with chronic illnesses, including diabetes and cancer, who are now unable to access essential medication.

“Doctors here say the tragedy is not in what’s happening, but in what is preventable,” said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud from Gaza City.

A father of a 10-year-old diabetic boy said he searched all day for insulin, often bartering at homes of individuals rumored to have it.

Said al-Soudy, head of emergency at Al Helou International Hospital, said many patients were deteriorating without critical medication.

Pharmacist Rana Alsamak reported widespread shortages for those with multiple sclerosis, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis and immune disorders.

“These conditions now go largely untreated,” she said.

On Friday, the United States announced the creation of a so-called "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" to coordinate aid deliveries with Israeli military protection.

The United Nations rejected the plan, warning it would compromise neutrality, displace civilians, and militarize aid.