Israeli raids on northern Gaza kill 33 Palestinians, as more die from famine

Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 33 Palestinians overnight, wounded dozens more, and left more than 25 missing, according to medical sources and eyewitness accounts in the enclave.

The attacks targeted tents housing displaced families, residential homes, and gatherings of people waiting for humanitarian aid in multiple areas of the enclave.

Emergency teams said they struggled to reach victims due to the intensity of Israeli bombardment, as destruction spread across northern and central Gaza.

Hospital sources told Al Jazeera that two more Palestinians were killed on Wednesday, including one person who died while waiting for humanitarian aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, and another in an Israeli strike on al-Rashid Street in western Gaza City.

Palestinian news agency WAFA also reported that at least five people were killed when an Israeli drone bombed a tent housing displaced families on Al-Nasser Street, northwest of Gaza City.

Elsewhere, Israeli drones struck another tent for displaced families near the Baptist Hospital in Palestine Square, killing one person and wounding several others.

In central Gaza, one Palestinian was killed when an Israeli drone bombed an apartment in the Al-Bureij refugee camp. At the same time, in Deir al-Balah, a child was killed and others were wounded when airstrikes hit a tent sheltering displaced people near the Technical College.

The strikes have devastated shelters where civilians sought refuge, forcing many families to relocate repeatedly amid ongoing bombardment.

High-rise buildings levelled 

Meanwhile, Israel has intensified attacks on Gaza City’s high-rise buildings, striking its seventh major tower in recent weeks.

Palestinians were ordered to leave areas surrounding Gaza Port and parts of the southern Rimal neighbourhood, including the Taiba 2 Tower and nearby tents sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

According to WAFA, these areas are heavily overcrowded, with both residents and displaced families trapped amid escalating bombardment.

It comes as the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that five more people, including a child, died from famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of starvation-related deaths to 404, among them 141 children.

Since the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) formally declared famine in Gaza, at least 126 people, including 26 children, have died. Health officials warned that the siege has created an accelerating humanitarian catastrophe, with food shortages deepening amid relentless Israeli attacks.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 64,605 people and wounded 163,319 since October 2023, with thousands more believed to be under the rubble.