Israeli Strikes Kill 143 in Gaza as Civilian Toll Mounts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Israeli forces killed at least 143 Palestinians in a single day of intensified attacks across Gaza on Thursday, bringing the total death toll in the besieged territory to over 53,000, Al Jazeera reported, citing medical sources.
Gaza endured one of its deadliest days in months as Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire targeted civilian areas, medical centers, and homes across the enclave.
In Jabalia refugee camp, an Israeli strike hit the al-Tawbah clinic, killing 13 people, including children. Witnesses described patients being “torn apart” on the upper floor.
At least six people were killed on al-Ajarma Street in Jabalia when a house was bombed. Another two died in nearby al-Fakhoura after Israeli forces targeted a residential building.
A tent sheltering displaced families in Khan Younis was hit, killing at least one person and injuring several others.
Israeli jets repeatedly bombed Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, including a home in the as-Sultan neighborhood where three were killed.
Two more people died when Israeli artillery shelled areas packed with displaced civilians in Beit Lahiya, prompting mass displacement as residents fled the advancing ground assault.
The Israeli military also stormed parts of the north, besieging shelters and forcing evacuations under threat of further attacks.
At least 16 more Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza during hours of relentless bombardment, while the city of Khan Younis suffered extensive damage and loss of life.
Palestinians in Gaza remain trapped under blockade, with Israel continuing to restrict the flow of humanitarian aid, food, and medical supplies for over two months.
Catherine Russell, head of UNICEF, condemned the targeting of children, reporting that 45 had been killed in Israeli strikes over just two days.
“More than 1 million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation,” she wrote. “They are deprived of food, water and medicine. Nowhere is safe for children in Gaza.”
“This horror must stop,” she concluded.
Israeli genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 53,010 Palestinians and wounded 119,919, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli army resumed its assaults on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 2,876 people and injured nearly 8,000 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
