700 days of war: Gaza reels under relentless Israeli strikes

Muslim Network TV Desk

GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) – Friday marked 700 days since Israel launched its war on Gaza, and the day was no different from the hundreds before it: full of grief, destruction, and staggering loss.

At least 44 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Friday, including seven children in Gaza City. The Ministry of Health said 69 people had been killed and 422 wounded in the past 24 hours alone.

Even more harrowing, six Palestinians were killed and more than 190 injured while trying to collect humanitarian aid during the same period.

Since May 27, the ministry has recorded at least 2,362 aid seekers killed and 17,434 wounded, underscoring the dangers faced by desperate civilians searching for food and water under siege.

Israeli strikes once again focused on Gaza City, where apartment blocks and makeshift shelters were hit in quick succession:

• Abu Dhabi Building: Three killed and several injured when an apartment opposite Al-Khidmah Hospital was targeted.
• Yarmouk Market Street, Al-Daraj: Three killed and seven injured in an airstrike near the Prosthetics Center.
• Islamic University campus, Al-Rimal: Four killed when a tent sheltering displaced families was hit.
• Tel al-Hawa: Three killed in a separate apartment strike.
• Al-Noor Mosque, Al-Rimal: Two killed when a drone hit a tent near the mosque.
• Sakeek Building, Al-Sabra: Three killed in a strike on an apartment.
• Al-Azhar University intersection: Two killed when a tent for displaced families was bombed.
• YMCA area, western Gaza City: One killed in an airstrike on a nearby apartment.

The Israeli military also intensified demolitions, deploying explosive robots in Jabalia and Sheikh Radwan, while artillery fire and quadcopter helicopters targeted residential areas in Zeitoun and Al-Sabra.

In one of the most alarming attacks of the day, Israeli jets struck Mushta Tower, a residential building in western Gaza City that houses hundreds of displaced Palestinians. Several floors were hit, causing widespread panic in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods.

Israel’s defense minister declared that the “gates of hell” were opening in Gaza and vowed more strikes on multistorey towers, calling it part of an intensified push to control the capital.

The Israeli army claims it now holds 40 percent of Gaza City, even as the UN children’s fund UNICEF described the humanitarian situation as “unthinkable.”

Strikes were not limited to the capital. In Deir al-Balah camp in central Gaza, a house belonging to the Al-Danaf family was hit after an evacuation warning. No casualties were reported.

In southern Khan Younis, artillery pounded residential areas, though details of the damage remain unclear.

An Israeli historian Raz Segal, who is also a professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

has suggested that the number of people killed in Israel’s war in Gaza is far higher than the toll cited by the UN and count provided by local health officials.

Mounting toll

The devastation after 700 days is reflected in staggering figures:

• Total killed: At least 64,231 Palestinians, with thousands more missing under rubble.
• Children killed: About 17,492, an average of 28 every day since October 2023.
• Women killed: Estimates range between 4,959 and 9,500.
• Journalists killed: More than 217, making it the deadliest conflict ever for the press.
• Medical workers killed: At least 986, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics.
• Injured: More than 161,583, including 22,500 left with permanent disabilities, often after amputations carried out without proper anesthesia.
• Missing/presumed dead: More than 14,222.

Indirect deaths from starvation and untreated illness are believed to be several times higher than the official count.

Humanitarian catastrophe

Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has been almost entirely displaced, with 1.9 million people uprooted, many multiple times. Over 65 evacuation orders have been issued, covering 80 percent of the Strip.

The destruction is near total:

• Homes: Nearly all damaged; more than 70,000 destroyed.
• Health care: 114 hospitals and clinics out of service; 34 hospitals and 80 health centers shut down.
• Schools: 305 schools hit, leaving 88 percent of facilities damaged.
• Agriculture: 68 percent of cropland destroyed.
• Religious sites: 183 mosques and 3 churches demolished.
• Roads: 68 percent of networks damaged.
• Commerce: 80 percent of businesses destroyed.

Israel has dropped an estimated 75,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza, leaving behind 42 million tonnes of debris, much of it contaminated with unexploded ordnance.

The humanitarian toll has been compounded by repeated aid blockages, with the territory under siege for weeks at a time. At least 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food.

Hamas and global voices

Hamas marked the 700th day of war with a statement calling Israel’s campaign a “stain on humanity.” It urged the international community to take action against what it described as genocide and reiterated its willingness to pursue a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, stressing that it had “shown significant flexibility” in negotiations.

After 700 days, Gaza’s war remains one of the most devastating conflicts of the 21st century. Families mourn loved ones, displacement camps grow more crowded, and children die every day.

International calls for a ceasefire continue, but on the ground the bombs keep falling. For Palestinians in Gaza, the 701st day has already begun much like the rest: under fire, in grief, and with no clear end in sight.