Gaza burns as Israeli strikes kill 48 Palestinians in 24 hours

Children, medics, and families among dead as blockade tightens and global outrage mounts

GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) — Israel’s unrelenting air campaign across the Gaza Strip killed at least 48 Palestinians and wounded 142 more in the past 24 hours, amid what humanitarian agencies are calling the “worst phase of the war” yet.

The latest wave of airstrikes targeted homes, refugee camps, and densely populated areas in Al-Nuseirat, Khan Younis, Gaza City, and other localities.

Among the dead were children, women, and disabled charity workers—some injured when a nearby strike hit the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children in Gaza City.

Medical sources confirmed that rescue efforts remain severely hindered by collapsed buildings and lack of access to key zones. Aid has not entered Gaza for over two months.

As of Tuesday, the UN reported that at least 66,000 children in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition.

“This is the hardest time we’ve lived through,” a resident in Deir el-Balah told Qatar-based TV channel Al Jazeera.

Health Ministry has raised the death toll of Israel’s war to over 52,600, with more than 118,000 wounded.

The Government Media Office puts the actual death toll above 61,700, accounting for thousands still buried under rubble.

Strikes killed six in Al-Nuseirat, 15 in Al-Karama, four in Beit Lahia, and several more in Sheikh Radwan and Qarara.

Drone attacks killed civilians in Deir el-Balah and Jabalia. Israeli jets shelled civilian gatherings, and air raids hit homes, mosques, and residential towers.

The Israeli army also resumed systematic demolitions of homes across eastern Gaza City and Rafah.

In a parallel move, Israeli authorities issued eviction orders to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, warning of imminent demolition of 90 homes in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps.

Speaking from the illegal Ofra settlement, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Gaza would soon be “completely destroyed,” with Palestinians pushed into a “security corridor” in the far south.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed these intentions, warning of impending mass displacement as his cabinet approved a new ground offensive to seize full control of the territory.

The siege has hardened Hamas’s stance. Senior leader Basem Naim said there was “no sense” in talks while bombings and the blockade continued.

In response to Israel’s escalating war, global condemnation is growing. Norway’s largest trade union, LO, representing over 900,000 workers, demanded the country’s $1.8 trillion sovereign wealth fund divest from firms involved in Israel’s occupation.

“This is about international law and ethics,” said LO’s deputy leader.

Meanwhile, six US senators, including Bernie Sanders, are pressing for a formal investigation into whether Israel has violated US laws by blocking humanitarian aid. They cite the Foreign Assistance Act and Leahy Laws, which prohibit funding for countries obstructing relief or involved in human rights violations.

UN agencies warn that Gaza’s 2.3 million people are enduring starvation as Israel enforces a total blockade since March 2.

“The famine risk is real and rising,” a UN official said, calling for immediate international intervention.

Despite rising death tolls, global outrage, and worsening famine, Israeli attacks show no sign of slowing.

With new offensives looming and ceasefire prospects fading, Gaza continues to endure one of the most destructive and deadly military campaigns in recent history.